AI Micro-Dramas Shaking Up Chinese Entertainment

In the animated series "Orange Cat Taoist Priest: Fighting the Zombie King", a tabby in a flowing robe uses magical amulets and laser lassos to battle a pack of vicious, undead kittens. These feline adventures come in dozens of two-minute episodes, or micro-dramas—a form of entertainment that mashes traditional TV shows with scrollable social-media posts. AI-animated soap operas featuring talking cats may sound niche but have become all the rage in China. The Taoist master cat has attracted half a million views.

在动画系列"橙猫道士：大战僵尸王"中，一只穿着飘逸长袍的斑猫使用魔法护符和激光套索来对抗一群凶恶的、不死的小猫。这些猫科冒险故事以数十个两分钟的片段呈现，即微短剧——一种将传统电视节目与可滚动社交媒体帖子相结合的娱乐形式。配有会说话的猫的AI动画情景剧听起来可能很小众，但在中国已经风靡一时。这位道士猫已经吸引了50万次的观看。

amulets n. 护符，护身符

The wizard carried protective amulets during his journey.

巫师在旅途中携带保护性护身符。

laser lassos n. 激光套索

The hero used a laser lasso to capture the escaping villain.

英雄用激光套索抓住了逃跑的坏人。

vicious adj. 凶恶的，恶毒的

The vicious dog attacked without warning.

那只凶恶的狗毫无预警地发动了攻击。

undead adj. 不死的，僵尸的

The video game features hordes of undead creatures.

这款电子游戏以大批不死生物为特色。

mashes v. 混合，融合

The artist mashes up different musical genres in his latest album.

这位艺术家在最新专辑中融合了不同的音乐风格。

scrollable adj. 可滚动的

The scrollable feed keeps users engaged for hours.

可滚动的信息流让用户持续沉浸数小时。

niche adj./n. 小众的；利基市场

The company specializes in niche products for collectors.

该公司专营收藏家的小众产品。

all the rage phr. 风靡一时

Wearable devices were all the rage at the tech expo.

可穿戴设备在科技博览会上风靡一时。

China's entertainment industry has been shaken by micro-form. Total time spent watching longer dramas fell by 15% year on year in January while viewing time on Red Fruit, a micro-drama app owned by ByteDance, the Chinese firm behind TikTok, more than doubled.

中国的娱乐业已被微形式所撼动。1月份观看长剧的总时间同比下降了15%，而抖音母公司字节跳动旗下的微短剧应用红果的观看时间却增长了一倍多。

shaken by phr. 被...震撼/撼动

The industry was shaken by the sudden collapse of the major studio.

这家大型制片厂的突然倒闭震惊了整个行业。

The business model is based on aggressively cutting costs. The live-action versions use amateurs and bare-bones sets, but they are being undercut by new AI-animation tools. The proliferation of these in the past year has enabled production costs to be cut by up to 90%, reckon analysts at HSBC, a bank. Industry insiders say the volume of live-action micro-drama filmed in some regions has shrunk by 80% while actors' already meagre pay has been cut by half.

该商业模式基于激进地降低成本。真人版使用业余演员和简陋的布景，但正被新的AI动画工具所取代。汇丰银行分析师估计，过去一年这些工具的普及使制作成本降低了高达90%。业内人士表示，一些地区拍摄的真人微短剧数量减少了80%，而演员本来就不高的薪酬也被削减了一半。

cutting costs phr. 降低成本

The company is cutting costs to survive the economic downturn.

该公司正在降低成本以度过经济衰退期。

live-action adj. 真人的

The novel is being adapted into a live-action film.

这部小说正被改编成真人电影。

amateurs n. 业余爱好者，非专业人员

The play was performed by amateurs rather than professional actors.

这出戏由业余演员而非专业演员表演。

bare-bones adj. 简陋的，基本的

The startup began with a bare-bones operation in a small office.

这家初创公司最初在一个小办公室里简陋运营。

proliferation n. 普及，激增

The proliferation of smartphones changed how we communicate.

智能手机的普及改变了我们的沟通方式。

meagre adj. 微薄的，不足的

The students survived on meagre allowances from their parents.

学生们靠父母微薄的生活费维持生计。

But the AI type faces headwinds. Since April 1st regulators have required that all animated micro-series not already approved for streaming be removed from online platforms. New series, they say, must file for approval before being released online.

但AI类型面临逆风。自4月1日起，监管机构要求所有未经审批通过的动画微系列从网络平台上撤下。他们表示，新系列必须在发布上线前提交审批。

headwinds n. 逆风，阻碍

The company faces headwinds from increased competition.

该公司面临来自竞争加剧的阻力。

file for phr. 提交申请

The startup decided to file for bankruptcy protection.

这家初创公司决定提交破产保护申请。

The model's other problems are also becoming clearer. One is excessive competition. China has produced so many AI micro-dramas that, despite their shoestring budgets, fewer and fewer get sufficient views to make money. Another problem is the very nature of this entertainment. It is hard for people to form sentimental attachments to micro-drama characters; as viewers, they are less loyal.

该模式的其他问题也日益清晰。一是过度竞争。中国制作了太多AI微短剧，尽管预算微薄，但越来越少的产品能获得足够的观看量来盈利。另一个问题在于这种娱乐形式的本质。人们很难对微短剧角色产生情感依恋；作为观众，他们的忠诚度较低。

excessive competition phr. 过度竞争

Excessive competition led to price wars in the industry.

过度竞争引发了行业内的价格战。

shoestring budgets phr. 微薄预算

The film was made on a shoestring budget of just $10,000.

这部电影仅以1万美元的微薄预算拍摄。

sentimental attachments phr. 情感依恋

She had sentimental attachments to her childhood home.

她对童年的家有着深厚的感情。

loyal adj. 忠诚的

The brand has maintained a loyal customer base for decades.

该品牌数十年来保持了忠实的客户群。

China's tech giants are trying to adapt. One of them, Alibaba, has launched a new season of a long-form animated series called "The Demon Hunter". It has more than 10m followers. In the epic battle for eyeballs, longer dramas may still stand a chance.

中国的科技巨头正在努力适应。其中之一阿里巴巴推出了一部长篇动画系列"猎魔人"的新一季。它拥有超过1000万粉丝。在争夺眼球的史诗大战中，长剧可能仍有机会。

epic battle phr. 史诗般的战斗

The two companies are engaged in an epic battle for market dominance.

两家公司正在为争夺市场主导权展开一场史诗般的较量。

eyeballs n. 眼球，注意力

The competition for eyeballs in the streaming industry is fierce.

流媒体行业对观众眼球的争夺非常激烈。