top 10 cdramas for newbies!

when you're first diving it cdramas, everything seems muddled: there's modern, ancient wuxia, xianxia, xuanhuan, revolutionary period, 1920s, SO MUCH!

that's why today, i've brought you the ultimate list of cdramas to get an idea of all these types of dramas! these are more "nuanced" dramas that are not the usual ten miles of peach blossoms, eternal love of dream, a love so beautiful or whatnot. (i personally see a lot of that, and although they're good, these are some different options!)

som apr 20, 2021

10 Titles 0 Loves

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1. Shi Guang Yu Ta, Qia Shi Zheng Hao

Chinese Drama - 2022, 25 episodes

10

the storyline is so easy to follow, it's a cutesy, wholesome coming of age romance <3
2. Love Is Sweet

Chinese Drama - 2020, 36 episodes

10

childhood friends to enemies to workplace lovers all in one. you can't go wrong!
3. Reset

Chinese Drama - 2022, 15 episodes

10

action-packed thriller with a hint of romance! this one is much shorter, so it's great as an introduction to cdramas in general (but also for those thriller lovers rather than romance!)
4. My Roommate is a Detective

Chinese Drama - 2020, 36 episodes

8.0

a 1920s setting that introduces you to slightly more nuanced Chinese communications. crime-solving in gangster-run 1920s Shanghai. Sherlock Holmes vibe, so super engaging for those who are not AS into the romance aspect (there still is some, though).
5. Handsome Siblings

Chinese Drama - 2020, 44 episodes

8.0

trying to dive into historical cdramas but don't know where to start? for me, this led to everything else! it's an iconic story in ancient Chinese literature, and in cdrama form, all the characters come to life in compelling plotlines.
6. The Legend of the Condor Heroes

Chinese Drama - 2017, 52 episodes

7.5

another iconic Chinese literature story adapted into a wonderful drama; another great start into ancient wuxia dramas!
7. The Legends

Chinese Drama - 2019, 56 episodes

6.5

what i like to call a "soft fall" into fantasy (xianxia) chinese dramas. they often have much more ancient, flowery language (packed with literature references) , so this is a great drama for an intro to the fantasy cdramas without having to be entirely confused with the language.
8. Joy of Life

Chinese Drama - 2019, 46 episodes

8.0

a more science-fiction based historical drama. it's a time travel one, but the plot is easier to follow than most other time-travel dramas. it's got more flowery language, but this is what i call EVOLUTION!
9. New Life Begins

Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

10

a sitcom but make it ancient Chinese?? i'm being fr, this one is basically just family life and is super cute! a great tool for learning more liteature-based Chinese terms.
10. Hei Yue Guang Wen Na BE Ju Ben

Chinese Drama - 2023, 40 episodes

10

i'm gifting you this cdrama, bc it will be among the best you've ever watched. it's flowery and complex, but i believe by this point, you will do great with it. the storyline is centered around one "main goal" and the rest is either lovey dovey or cold hard angst (no in between), so i would consider it easy to follow (but still THE BEST)
if you've stuck around to the end of this list, thank you! you deserve the pure joy 长月烬明 will give you once you're done. hearts4u<333