LayarHijau – The highly anticipated long-form drama The Heir (formerly known as Family Business), starring top Chinese actress Yang Zi, has become the center of controversy in China’s entertainment industry. Producer Huace Film & TV strongly condemned the emergence of a short drama that blatantly copied promotional materials and key scenes from The Heir well before the original drama’s release.
Cheap Replica Threatens High-Budget Production
The Heir tells the story of Li Zhen (Yang Zi), the youngest heir who struggles to restore her family’s traditional ink-making business, a recognized intangible cultural heritage, after the family’s enterprise collapses.
The drama was produced with meticulous care. The crew spent 90 days recreating an ink workshop in Shexian, Anhui, while the actors, including Yang Zi, trained in ink-making techniques for three months. The total production cost reportedly exceeded 320 million Yuan (approximately 47 million USD).
Meanwhile, a short drama titled The Lingering Fragrance of Ink, The Matrilocal Son-in-Law is Actually a Capitalist (Mo Xiang Qian Quan, Zhui Xu Jing Shi Zi Ben Jia / 《墨香缱绻，赘婿竟是资本家》) appeared, copying scenes such as ink-making and even replicating eight masters from The Heir’s trailer. The imitation extended to camera angles and poster design.
Industry analysts noted that props in the short drama were made from cheap foam, the ink was simulated with coal substitutes, and production costs were only in the hundreds of thousands of Yuan, completed within a week at most. Despite the low quality, the short drama attracted over one million viewers within three days, showing how effectively such “shortcut” strategies can capitalize on an established IP.
Long-Term Threats to Major Dramas
The case of The Heir is not isolated. This “preemptive copying” trend has affected other major titles:
The Prisoner of Beauty (Zhē Yāo) – the news short drama adaptations plan emerged while the original long-form drama was still airing, even trending on social media.
The Rebirth of the Malicious Empress of Military Lineage (Jiàng Mén Dú Hòu) – the short adaptation was released first, confusing viewers into thinking it was the official version.
Veil of Shadows (Yuè Lín Qǐ Jì) and Sniper Butterfly (Jū Jī Hú Dié) also faced similar issues, with key costumes and storylines leaked in advance by short drama adaptations.
Spoilers and IP Damage
Long-form dramas require 12–18 months of production, while short dramas can be completed in just 1–3 months. By copying key IP elements and iconic scenes, short dramas can reap promotional benefits with minimal creative investment.
The consequences are serious:
Eroding viewer patience: Audiences may feel they’ve already seen the climax or spoilers, reducing interest in following the full-length story.
Damaging IP value: Changes to the story that are done carelessly lower the perceived quality of the original IP.
Unhealthy industry environment: When every major project faces plagiarism and plot leaks, the environment for original creativity and large-scale investment suffers.
Huace Film & TV condemned these practices as a serious ethical violation and promised legal action. The chaos highlights traffic pressures in the early stages of the short-drama industry, worsened by low copyright infringement costs and minimal oversight.
