Michelle Ye, a Zhejiang-born actress who made a name for herself starring in a number of classic Hong Kong dramas, has recently found success again as she ventures into short dramas. At age 46, she plays the mother-in-law of the heroine in the short drama The Young Madam Comes from Northeast China (少夫人来自东北), which has shot up to popularity online. Meanwhile, the actress’s decision to appear in short dramas has sparked debate over whether an award-winning TVB actress is lowering her status. However, she has made her position clear, “There is no distinction… What matters is whether the production is good or bad.”
Furthermore, Michelle Ye shared her insights about how things work in short drama platforms like Hongguo. According to the actress, the industry operates under an intense performance system. Unlike television dramas, which can gradually build an audience through word of mouth, short dramas depend heavily on their initial performance immediately after release. She explained that completion rates, average views per episode and audience retention on the first day can directly influence whether a platform continues recommending a drama to viewers. In other words, the first day can determine whether a short drama receives additional exposure or disappears among competing titles. “First, you have to meet the algorithm’s requirements to earn a ticket into the traffic pool. Only then will audiences have the opportunity to see your work,” was her explanation. She also stressed that securing platform recommendations through viewers willing to click to watch the next episode comes before audiences can evaluate a drama’s artistic quality. Michelle Ye described the short-drama market as an environment where survival matters most and the strategies to secure traffic are closely-guarded secrets.
