The plot of the popular micro film @Love focuses on the annual Spring Festival travel rush and the marital attitudes of people born after 1990. Photos Provided to China Daily

A big competition between online "micro films" and feature-length films has begun.

The latest micro film to make it big is the 10-episode short @Love. The finale garnered more than 12 million clicks since its Feb 6 release.

Major episodes of the series were nominated for the best short film category at this year's Harbin Ice and Snow Film Festival.

Nanjing University hosted the First University Student Micro Film Festival on Feb 29 to identify young film talent and encourage students to shoot more creative micro films.

Director Li Zichao, who specializes in shorts, says there is no official definition of "micro film", but there is a consensus on the term's meaning.

"As the term suggests, micro films are short films that run for three minutes to half an hour," Li says.

"They have small budgets and are completed in a few weeks. They don't appear in theaters but are streamed on video sites and social networks."

More than 40 million Chinese only watch TV shows online, according to the 2011 China and Foreign TV Industry Report by vice-president of China International Television Corporation Zhang Haichao.

Tsinghua University's School of Journalism and Communication professor Yin Hong says: "Micro films are usually light-hearted stories that depict reality."