The site 163 reported that the Chinese drama Lucky Carp Forced to Marry the Underworld King, Losing All Luck in the Mansion sparked intense backlash from viewers right after its release. The show was criticized for violating social ethics and promoting disturbing themes, as the female lead is only 7 years old when she marries a general over 20 years old.
7-Year-Old Bride, Mother at 14
The story follows Shen Fu (played by Liu Tingshen), a girl with a lucky fate who helps Shen Yuzhou rise to become prime minister. However, Shen Yuzhou forces 7-year-old Shen Fu to marry Wei General, a notorious and ruthless figure known as the “Underworld King,” in place of his sister.
Contrary to his fearsome reputation, Wei General cares deeply for Shen Fu. As the lucky carp, Shen Fu changes the fortune of the general’s household. Meanwhile, after Shen Fu leaves, the prime minister’s mansion suffers misfortune, losing property and facing ruin. Shen Yuzhou realizes he has lost his luck and desperately tries to get Shen Fu back.
According to 163, Shen Fu is just 7 years old when forced to marry the general, who is over 20. The drama shows Shen Fu giving birth at just over 10 years old, ending with her being 15 and already a mother. The series also includes romantic scenes between characters nearly 20 years apart in age, including kisses.
Viewers condemned the producers for creating such controversial content. Depicting a young girl in romantic situations with an adult man was seen as promoting pedophilia and distorting audience perceptions. The show was also criticized for violating social morals and setting a dangerous precedent by failing to strictly regulate scripts. Many viewers demanded the series be removed.
163 also noted that Liu Tingshen, who plays Shen Fu, was born in 2015 and was only 10 years old during filming. Her co-star Jin Wang, born in 1997, is 18 years older. Jin Wang faced criticism for delivering romantic lines to a child actress.
Additionally, viewers criticized Liu Tingshen’s parents for allowing their young daughter to act in adult-themed romantic scenes for money. Liu began acting at age 4 and has appeared in long-running series such as Water Dragon Chant, Eternal Melody, Worthy of Love, Eastern Extreme Island, and Good Reunion. She has acting experience and a bright future, but her career is at risk due to being pushed into controversial roles too soon.
Calls for Stricter Regulation of Short Drama Content
Chinese audiences are urging art regulators to better control short drama content. Several other series with bizarre or inappropriate themes have also been removed, including Unicorn Gifts a Child, Heaven Sends Happiness, which featured a girl pregnant by an emperor giving birth to 99 sons. Titles like Miss Hemorrhoids, Old Mother Bao Returns, University Entrance Counterattack: I Reveal the Truth, Forbidden Love in Ancient Times, and Thousands of Stars Enter Me faced backlash for unacceptable content.
These dramas often include strange, illogical plots. For example, in Forbidden Love in Ancient Times, the heroine time-travels to defeat an evil empress by sending her to fight dinosaurs in the past.
In Thousands of Stars Enter Me, a CEO tries to assault the heroine, but she wears nearly 100 pairs of pants, frustrating him to exhaustion.
These productions lack deep character development and disregard artistic value or meaningful messages. Their sole aim is to attract views and generate profit. Shocking plot twists interrupt climaxes to keep viewers hooked. Each short episode costs about 5 yuan to watch, with some dramas earning up to 100 million yuan.
At the Hangzhou Short Film Conference, Zhao Yousu, CEO of Tinghuadao, revealed that “5,000 short films will feature CEOs being drugged in 2025,” highlighting the repetitive and controversial nature of Chinese short drama content.
To attract audiences, producers create themes criticized for violating social norms, promoting relationships based on wealth and status. In November 2024, China’s National Radio and Television Administration issued two notices regulating short dramas about middle-aged themes and domineering CEO characters. Platforms then reviewed and removed violating content.
Within one month, Douyin removed 209 viral short dramas with hundreds of millions to billions of views, including Beauties Surround Me, My Father Is the Richest Man in the World, Shocked When Grandma Took the Heir to the Underworld, according to National Business Daily. In October 2024, the platform also deleted 240 negatively reviewed dramas.
The 2024 Chinese Short Film Industry Report states the market reached 50.4 billion yuan (6.96 billion USD) with over 662 million viewers, even rivaling box office revenue. This has driven heavy investment in the genre, but content censorship and quality control remain urgent priorities for regulators.