For Nathan Clarke, 29, a PhD candidate in computer science at a university in California, short dramas offer a totally different vibe - classic over-the-top romance, contract marriages, and the whole ...

This wuxia Chinese drama follows the story of Baili Dongjun (Neo Hou), a talented brew-master, who was forced to learn martial arts. Moreover, his childhood best friend, Ye Yun (He Yu), gets murdered.

Instead, it’s on FlexTV, a Chinese app filled with short dramas like this one. The shows on FlexTV are shot for phone screens, cut into about 90 two-minute episodes, and optimized for today’s ...