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Shanghai Unveils AI Micro-Series 'Shu 8' with 10M Yuan Funding for Full AI Transformation in Overseas Expansion

The Shanghai Bureau of Culture and Tourism has officially rolled out the "Several Measures for Accelerating the High-quality Development of AI-powered Micro-Short Plays in Shanghai," also known as the "Shanghai 8 Measures." These measures span 24 initiatives across eight areas, with the goal of turning Shanghai into a national hub for the AI-powered micro-short play industry through strong technical support and comprehensive resource guarantees. The policy outlines a city-level pilot base for AI micro-short plays, offering up to 10 million yuan in financial backing for independently developed projects that gain market traction, covering 20% of actual R&D investment.
Shanghai will also focus on four core pillars—computing power, models, language data, and IP—and provide rewards of up to 3 million yuan for standout micro-short play projects. To speed up service delivery, the policy introduces a "2+5" rapid review system: planning approval within two working days and online approval within five working days. Additionally, an overseas micro-short play base will be established in Pudong New Area, with rewards of up to 500,000 yuan for exceptional overseas enterprises.
This set of robust policies arrives at a crucial time when the AI micro-short play sector is expanding explosively. Following the first year of the AI comic drama surge in 2025, roughly 128,000 micro-short plays were released in the first quarter of 2026, with AI-generated content making up over 95% of them. Because AI significantly cuts production costs and lowers cross-cultural barriers, overseas per-episode earnings have surpassed domestic performance, making full AI integration across the entire production chain an inevitable trend.
Against the backdrop of three key clusters rapidly taking shape in Xuhui, Yangpu, and Minhang districts, the "Shanghai 8 Measures" represent a policy upgrade, marking Shanghai's transition from the initial "Flowers" plan pilot to a new phase defined by "systematic regulation" and "scaled support." This not only positions Shanghai at the higher end of the AI short play export value chain but also transforms its early advantages into a durable industrial moat.
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The Shanghai Bureau of Culture and Tourism has officially rolled out the "Several Measures for Accelerating the High-quality Development of AI-powered Micro-Short Plays in Shanghai," also known as the "Shanghai 8 Measures." These measures span 24 initiatives across eight areas, with the goal of turning Shanghai into a national hub for the AI-powered micro-short play industry through strong technical support and comprehensive resource guarantees. The policy outlines a city-level pilot base for AI micro-short plays, offering up to 10 million yuan in financial backing for independently developed projects that gain market traction, covering 20% of actual R&D investment.
Shanghai will also focus on four core pillars—computing power, models, language data, and IP—and provide rewards of up to 3 million yuan for standout micro-short play projects. To speed up service delivery, the policy introduces a "2+5" rapid review system: planning approval within two working days and online approval within five working days. Additionally, an overseas micro-short play base will be established in Pudong New Area, with rewards of up to 500,000 yuan for exceptional overseas enterprises.
This set of robust policies arrives at a crucial time when the AI micro-short play sector is expanding explosively. Following the first year of the AI comic drama surge in 2025, roughly 128,000 micro-short plays were released in the first quarter of 2026, with AI-generated content making up over 95% of them. Because AI significantly cuts production costs and lowers cross-cultural barriers, overseas per-episode earnings have surpassed domestic performance, making full AI integration across the entire production chain an inevitable trend.
Against the backdrop of three key clusters rapidly taking shape in Xuhui, Yangpu, and Minhang districts, the "Shanghai 8 Measures" represent a policy upgrade, marking Shanghai's transition from the initial "Flowers" plan pilot to a new phase defined by "systematic regulation" and "scaled support." This not only positions Shanghai at the higher end of the AI short play export value chain but also transforms its early advantages into a durable industrial moat.
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