A national watchdog says there should be more to productions than physical appearances
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenMeredith ChenPublished: 7:00pm, 5 Apr 2026TV drama regulators in China have taken aim at beauty-obsessed and traffic-driven programming in the industry, with a call for more “quality” storytelling.
The National Radio and Television Administration’s drama department sent out the call on Thursday as it brought major streaming platforms and production companies together for a conference on “healthy aesthetics”.
“[Efforts should be made] to avoid the tendency to value physical beauty above everything else and reliance on traffic-driven popularity,” the department said in a briefing posted on social media.
“Greater emphasis should be placed on acting skills and the quality of productions,” it said, criticising the “undesirable creative tendencies” of a “one-sided pursuit of ‘appearance-first’ standards”.
China calls for boycott of ‘sissy idols’ and ‘overly entertaining’ stars
China calls for boycott of ‘sissy idols’ and ‘overly entertaining’ starsAmong the attendees at the conference were representatives from streamers iQIYI, Mango TV, Tencent Video and Youku and participants from production companies Daylight Entertainment, Linmon Media and Huace TV.
