What To Watch When You’re New To Cdramas

Politics: Ming Dynasty 1566. A cult classic, it currently sits at an incredible 9.8 on Douban. While narrow in scope, it's incredibly dense yet fulfilling a drama. - u/240229

Romcom: Delicious Romance. Modern and quippy, it's ultimately a story of three friends and their romantic encounters. If you're looking for something down to earth and light, this is it. - u/240229

Falling Into Your Smile - The plot here is pretty straightforward - two professional e-gamers meet and fall in love. It is good gateway drama because it’s got your typical “tsundere turn simp” plot, but in a non-typical setting. The gaming aspect as well as all the side characters make it fun, and any wannabe third parties to the relationship are dispatched quickly, so no tiresome drawn out love triangles. And of course Xu Kai is easy on the eyes! - u/TVAddict4

90s: Blossoms Shanghai. There was a sense of optimism, of change, in the zeitgeist of the era as China opened up its economy to the world. A visual spectacle, the energy of that time period and the emotions it left behind were perfectly encapsulated in this drama. - u/240229

Thriller: The Bad Kids. Three troubled children, a couple murders, one cat and mouse game. Arguably one of the dramas at the forefront of the wave of thrillers, director Xin Shuang's 2023 The Long Season was similarly excellent. - u/240229

Love Between Fairy and Devil (Xianxia): One of the shortest xianxia drama with a HE. Plot is engaging but overall a straightforward story that is easily understood. This was my first proper xianxia and I didn't had much problem with world-building. - u/chillichocolate25

Minning Town. Focusing on the less glamourous, we have the poverty alleviation efforts presented in this drama. Stellar cast, darkly funny at times, there was good reason why it was regarded as an instant classic when it came out. Also noticing that both these dramas feature heavy dialect: if you can, watch it in dialect version to get the full experience. Both dramas' Mandarin dubs aren't as good. - u/240229

Nirvana in Fire for those who prefer scheming plots with good production, good cast with top-notch acting, and excellent script. - u/Changeusernamealways

The Blood of Youth (Wuxia): Large number of characters may seem overwhelming but anime-like approach can keep it light. Bromance between the characters is the focus, so if anyone is not that interested in romance this one is for them.  -u/chillichocolate25

The Day of Becoming You (Romcom): It has a body swap plot but with today's sensibilities. If someone is a kdrama watcher this plot will be familiar and help them adapting to cdramas. - u/chillichocolate25

Wuxia: Legend of the Condor Heroes (any version tbh). The granddaddy of the genre, it also serves as an excellent primer to the genre in terms of themes, setting, tropes, and the many details that persist in other works. - u/240229

Sci-fi: The Three Body Problem. I would watch it just for Ye Wenjies' acting alone. Adapted from the novel of the same name, it makes you consider just how small humans are in the universe. - u/240229

You Are My Glory - It's a little more heavy than other romcoms but that's why it's so good and refreshing. A famous actress needs to learn how to play a game that she is an ambassador for. She ends up playing with her childhood crush, an aerospace engineer. What happens when they reconnect? How do they navigate their careers, responsibilities, and love life? It's a good solid modern romance drama, with Yang Yang and Dilraba Dilmurat -both have a long list of cdramas in their filmography. Oh and they both are ridiculously good looking too! - u/acumuluscloud

Shounen-adjacent: Young Blood. Action-packed and humourous, the drama presents that sort of youthful energy like no other. -  u/240229