Yao Guanyu: A Rising Star Dominates China’s Short Drama Scene

Yao Guanyu: A New Rising Star Dominates China’s Short Drama Scene
Yao Guanyu and Ke Chu / Weibo

Recently, Ke Chun (柯淳), long known for dominating the charts with his short dramas like Save Myself (好一个乖乖女), was asked whether he’s concerned about being “replaced.” Ke Chun said he isn’t as he graciously admitted he literally just dropped from the top spot as he’s been overtaken in rankings by actor Yao Guanyu (姚冠宇).

There’s no denying it—Yao Guanyu has been taking the short drama world by storm lately. A graduate of the Central Academy of Drama and recently signed in 2025 under a subsidiary of Tangren Media, the 28-year-old actor has starred in several buzzworthy short dramas like Tearing the Night (撕夜) and Hidden Treasures (私藏), carving out a niche for himself with “bad-boy crazy” characters—whether he’s a dangerously charming warlord or a manipulative CEO. It’s a sharp contrast to Ke Chun’s more classic CEO heartthrob image. Then again, the latter who’s only 24 years old was ranking unmatched for months, not to mention he also participated in the popular variety show Memories Beyond Horizon.

While the short drama market has may have started as bite-sized, lower-budget versions of mainstream Chinese dramas, it’s clearly become a league of its own with its stars shining in their own spotlight.

2 Comments

  1. Avarachika

    June 3, 2025 9:55 PM
  2. Vee

    June 8, 2025 9:41 AM
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