Short videos go long on value

Homemade clips, livestreaming, mini-dramas jump in popularity, especially among younger generations

Gao Ruolin, 27, who works for a fashion magazine in Beijing, said she loves to upload original videos that portray her everyday life and peruse funny clips posted by other users on short-video platform Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok.

Her first episode, about how to make Portuguese egg tarts, garnered more than 1,000 likes and over 150 comments. "I never thought my videos would be liked so much. I also interact with people who leave comments on my clips from time to time," she said.

Gao said she also pays attention to the latest news and information from video-sharing apps. "My free time tends to be fragmented and short, so browsing news on the platform is the perfect fit when I take the metro.