Kristy’s CDrama Starter Guide
Sabine’s Introduction
What follows below is a piece that I asked one of the students in my Triple Crown Classical Chinese program to compile, based on her voracious consumption of Chinese dramas. I myself am not in the habit and don’t have a set-up conducive to watching TV, so cannot personally comment on any of these recommendations, but I know the other students in our “Diamond Core” course sure have appreciated Kristy’s advice on this topic. And it’s great that she is often able to connect what she is watching in her downtime with what we are studying in the course, like the old Hánfēizi 韓非子 story about máodùn 矛盾: the bragging salesman of “shields so tough that absolutely nothing is able to pierce through them,” along with “spears so sharp that they are able to pierce through absolutely everything.” Also, from my experience with other students who love watching historical East Asian dramas, just being exposed to the sound of Chinese (or Korean or Japanese) and ideally some characters can actually be helpful, especially for students unable to go to East Asia themselves. Lastly, it’s a fun way to learn about traditional East Asian culture, history, religion, myths, social patterns, food, furniture, etc. etc., and even a bit of medicine, of course always depending on the quality of the particular production. And now enjoy... AND, in the end, if you feel so inclined, share your feedback or your own preferences as a comment below (:
A Guest Post by Kristy Garry
I will try to recommend a wide variety of dramas so there is something to suit everyone’s tastes.
Costume Dramas 僊俠 xiānxiá
This is a really popular genre. Typically these shows are about immortals who sometimes dabble in the mortal world. Lots of gorgeous costumes and fantastical fight scenes, magical instruments, mythical creatures etc.
Eternal Love (2017) : This was actually the first CDrama I ever watched and it got me hooked on the genre. At the time it came out it also became the most watched television show in the world with over 50 BILLION views. So pretty well everyone who watches CDramas has seen this one and references it. It is on almost everyone’s “list” of top shows. And for good reason. It is super long tho!! (58 x 45 min episodes) so yeah. Be prepared to watch nothing else for a good long while if you choose to start here 😆
The Untamed (2019): This show has a staggeringly huge cult following, probably due to being based on a same-sex novel (tho Chinese censorship watered that down so much that you can’t really tell in the show unless you have read the novel) I will warn you, the first 3ish episodes seem super bizarre because it takes a while to figure out what the heck is going on and the first battle scene looks campy as hell. I actually tried watching this a couple of times and didn’t get past the first 10 or 15 minutes but then I pushed thru the bizarreness and I was not disappointed. The characters are compelling and there are countless scenes that are SO visually stunning.
Love between Fairy and Devil (2022): This show had some light and laugh out loud funny moments in the beginning however it becomes much more intense as it progresses. One might even describe it as tragic. Have the Kleenex box at the ready! I was thoroughly wrung out by the end but it was one of the most popular shows of the year for a reason! It is a love story for the ages.”
There are COUNTLESS more excellent dramas in this genre. Those 3 are just a few examples that come to mind but some other very popular ones are: Ashes of Love (2018) , Til the End of the Moon (2023), etc. Search MDL for more if you like these sorts of dramas. They have a fantastic search filter function.
2. Martial Arts Dramas 武俠 wǔxiá
More straightforward martial arts without the magical abilities like in xiānxiá. Lots of kung fu and sword fights etc.
Joy of Life (2019): I could have perhaps put this under “Mystery” as well, but WuXia it is because there is plenty of battles and Kung Fu. The basic premise is this 21st century guy is reborn in an ancient empire with all the memories of modern times. He was particularly versed in classical poetry and writing so there are parts of the show where he gets drunk and starts reciting all these super famous poems and is totally blowing everyone’s mind. I won’t give too much away but the drunk poetry scene is particularly fantastic. I had goosebumps for the entire thing.
3. Historical Dramas
Many of these take place in historically significant places/eras but with fictional characters and will reference actual battles/dynasties/significant events of the time, etc. Again, incredible sets and costumes for these dramas.
The Long Ballad (2021) : This show takes place during the Tang Dynasty. The acting is superb in this and the entire plot is very interesting. It is a serious drama focusing mostly on war and the military.
Arsenal Military Academy (2019): A more modern than usual historical drama, this takes place back in the early 1900s during the war between China and Imperial Japan. Men were only allowed to join the army but a woman wants to join in honor of her brother, so she cuts her hair and dresses as a boy and joins the military academy with her brother’s name. The acting in this was sensational, not just by the main leads, but the supporting cast as well. 10/10
Love Like the Galaxy (2022): One of the most popular dramas of 2022, this historical/political/romance drama took place in a Han-like Dynasty.
In a Class of Her Own: This girl wants to be a scholar, but at that time only men are allowed to take the imperial exams. So she dresses as a boy and joins the other scholars, aces the test, and is placed in the Academy. Hijinxs ensue as she is put in a room with 3 other guys as her roommates. A fun historical drama with a smart female lead.
4. Modern Dramas
There is a huge variety of genres here and a ton of crossover. Most shows have some element of romance in them but not all.
a) Sports
Skate into Love (2020): I could solidly put this in the comedy category as well. It is about a Speed Skater and a Hockey Player at the same University who have ties back to their childhood where they were desk mates. A fun watch (I also find the representation of Hockey quite hilarious as a Canadian. It looks about as good as what 10 year olds would play up here, but China is not known for their prowess in the hockey rink so I digress)
Nothing But You (2023): Leo Wu plays a badminton player that transitions to become a tennis player. I think the thing that impresses me most about Leo Wu is how convincing he makes it look like he is ACTUALLY a tennis pro. There’s no body double out there, he’s doing it himself. And he’s good!! He does the same thing in Amidst A Snowstorm of Love (2024) https://mydramalist.com/702919-during-the-snowstorm where he is a professional Snooker player. They were trained by professional coaches for this drama and they totally pull off all these amazing shots convincingly.
b) Games
Hikaru No Go (2020): I loved this show, it was about a boy who finds an old Go board in his grandfathers attic and somehow, like rubbing a lamp and a genie pops out, he touched the Go board and an ancient Go Master pops out. Only this boy can see him (he’s like an imaginary friend) and the poor ghost just wants to play some Go but has to do it thru the kid. So of course the kid is all of a sudden amazing at the game. But it’s not him playing. Eventually he wants to learn himself with this master as his teacher. It is a really neat show and concept!
Love O2O (2016): One of the most popular video game/romance dramas (Go Go Squid is right up there too) - basically the hottest guy in school that every girl has a crush on is also the best player on this video game. It’s a University setting. The roommates of the guy are hilarious. Lots of silly antics. It’s quite fun, but also beautiful because a lot of the story takes place within the game which is based on Chinese culture so the actors have on traditional fantasy/immortal type costumes and play the Qin and whatnot. It’s a fun watch. The FL is also in a history class that the ML’s dad teaches and they briefly talk about the medical texts unearthed from the Ma Wang Dui tombs.
The King’s Avatar: Not a romance, shockingly! This is a show about a guy who is basically the best player of this game called Glory. But he isn’t interested in the marketing side of his esports team so he gets kicked out to make way for someone the management thinks can make them more money. As a result he goes and restarts his character again on HIS terms. He has the feel of a wise old kung fu master imparting his wisdom among the kids. Anyhow, he eventually builds a team of his own and while there are many touching moments, there are also just so many super funny moments because the characters are all so unique. Lots of laugh out loud interactions between the players. It is a great watch!
c) Romance
Legally Romance (2022): This is about a pair of lawyers who, let’s just say, have a miscommunication. I don’t want to give away the story because it is not immediately obvious what will happen, but something happens where the FL goes back and relives her life from her University Days, but with the knowledge of what is to come. I loved this Drama.
Once We Get Married (2021): The chemistry between these two actors was so fire that they ended up collaborating on a second drama together the next year. It wasn’t as good as this one tho ;)
Moonlight (2021): A great little romance about a novelist and editor. It’s hard to put my finger on why I liked this one so much, but it was just light and fun.
Autumn’s Concerto (2009): This Taiwanese drama is probably the oldest one on my list of recommendations. I watched it years ago but I still recall being totally wrung out by it. It is a classic forsure. Lots of twists and turns in this drama and several upsetting moments, but the love and chemistry shines thru.
d) Comedy / RomCom
The Day of Becoming You (2021): Idk where to put this one. Comedy, fantasy, sci-fi, romance. It has it all. One cool thing is the dad of the FL is an amazing cook and always cooking with Chinese herbs so it’s fun to see what he’s using. I absolutely loved this show! As well as the gamut of emotions the leads go thru as they navigate their situation (switching bodies due to a freak accident), it is also quite interesting as it deals with topics like cyber bullying.
The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020): A very funny romcom about a writer who sortof gets sucked into her own screenplay and by a series of (silly) unfortunate events has a romance with the lead actor instead of her intended leading lady.
e) SciFi
Reset (2022): This was another favourite for me. Without spoiling the show, 2 kids get trapped in a time bubble that keeps resetting until they solve the case. It is *really* well done! It is also quite a short drama in comparison to many, so a very easy watch if you don’t have much time.
f) Family/Slice of life
Go Ahead (2020): One of the best family dramas ever. There is a LOT to process in this show tho and some real tearjerker moments but the acting is superb. One of the highlights of this show is the Dad. He is the sweetest ever and just so loving to the kids (1 biological and 2, essentially, adopted) He is always making them food and the cinematography goes over the top on the food porn. There are so many food scenes where you are in a trance just watching him make all this delicious looking stuff. But I digress. This is one of the highest ranking Chinese dramas on MDL for a reason! (And probably the most hated mom in the CDrama world is in this show 😆 she is really the absolute worst.)
Meet Yourself (2023): This was my favourite drama of 2023. It takes place out in the countryside and is just beautiful to watch. There is a romance, of course, but what was refreshing was how completely non toxic any of it was. I won’t get into the details to give anything away, but in some dramas, due to cultural things, there are sometimes sexist behaviors that are a bit cringe. This drama had none of that at all. It was so wholesome and healthy. Plus the old NaiNai in it was absolutely the best. Lots of community dynamic stuff, there was a wide cast of characters that all flushed out the feel of a real community. The first episode is a bit of a tear jerker to set the stage, but after that it is nothing but beauty.
g) Mystery
The Imperial Coroner (2021): Very Sherlock Holmes but a (female) coroner. Fascinating and fun to watch them problem solve the cases.
h) Medical/Health care
Gen Z (2023): A drama completely focused on Chinese medicine practitioners! I gave side eye to a few things forsure, however I think they did a great job overall of representing the spirit of the medicine.
Will Love in Spring (2024): This drama just finished airing. As a result it’s still fresh in my mind so I’m adding it to the list. This was an eye opening drama! The ML is a mortician so the topic of death and dying was in the forefront of this drama. I was touched by the way they conveyed the huge amount of respect and care that is shown towards preparing the deceased. Quite a bit of family dynamic stuff represented here and some lovely old grandmas and their friendship really rounded out the show. Again, have the Kleenex box at the ready. There were a few episodes that were real tearjerkers, but again everything ends on a very positive note. Phew.
