Best Chinese Dramas of All Time
Chinese dramas are known for sweeping historical epics, martial-arts adventures, fantasy romances and sharp modern stories. This list brings together 100 of the most loved series of the past decade or so, from classics like Nirvana in Fire and Empresses in the Palace to recent favorites such as Hidden Love and Mysterious Lotus Casebook.
How we picked: we started from what viewers rate highest on fan-rating charts and what critics and audiences around the world keep praising, then our editors put the final 100 in order by overall impact, rewatch value and how well each story holds up. Every entry links to its own page with the full story, cast and details, and the list will keep changing as new dramas earn a place.
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1
Pursuit of Jade
逐玉
Fan Chang-yu is the daughter of a butcher, strong-willed and used to taking care of herself and her sister. Xie Zheng is a nobleman who has fallen from grace and is quietly seeking revenge.
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2
When I Fly Towards You
当我飞奔向你
In the autumn of 2012, Su Zai Zai transfers to Yucai High School and quickly develops a crush on the quiet and distant Zhang Lu Rang.
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3
Nirvana in Fire
琅琊榜
When General Lin Xie was framed for treason, his army was wiped out and only his young son Lin Shu survived.
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4
Hidden Love
偷偷藏不住
Sang Zhi develops a quiet crush on Duan Jia Xu, a boy five years older who often visits her home to play games with her older brother. As they grow up, they lose touch and drift apart.
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5
The Untamed
陈情令
Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji are gifted disciples from powerful cultivation clans who meet during their training years.
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6
Reset
开端
Game designer Xiao Heyun and university student Li Shiqing are strangers on the same city bus when it explodes, and then they wake up back at the beginning of the same ride.
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7
Joy of Life
庆余年
Fan Xian carries memories of another life and grows up in a remote seaside town, trained in poison and martial arts by teachers his father chose for him.
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8
Mysterious Lotus Casebook
莲花楼
Li Lianhua is a quiet, weathered healer who lives in a crooked old tower and solves puzzles for a living.
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9
The Prisoner of Beauty
折腰
Xiao Qiao, a clever young woman from the Qiao family, is married to Wei Shao, the sharp and capable head of the Wei family, to seal an alliance between two clans with a bitter past.
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10
Love Like the Galaxy
星汉灿烂
Cheng Shaoshang was left behind as a child while her parents were away at war, and she learned to protect herself by hiding how clever she really is.
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11
First Frost
难哄
Wen Yi Fan is a reporter who drops by a bar called Overtime to meet her best friend, Zhong Si Qiao.
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12
Go Ahead
以家人之名
Three kids from broken homes end up growing under the same roof and slowly become each other’s family.
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13
Love in the Clouds
入青云
At the Qingyun Conference, the greatest contest of the Six Realms, a rising fighter named Ji Bo-zai stuns everyone by ending the long winning streak of Ming Yi.
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14
Twelve Letters
十二封信
When his girlfriend Ye Hai-tang vanishes without warning, Tang Yi-xun finds a letter waiting in a mailbox and writes back.
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15
Meet Yourself
去有风的地方
After the loss of her best friend, Xu Hong Dou leaves behind her stressful city life and retreats to the peaceful village of Yun Miao near Dali.
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16
Against the Current
兰香如故
After her family is falsely branded traitors, Shen Jia Lan loses everything — her title, her standing, and the fiancé who abandons her the moment scandal touches his name.
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17
The Blood of Youth
少年歌行
Lei Wu-jie is an eager young martial artist who travels to the world of the jianghu hoping to become a true hero.
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18
To the Wonder
我的阿勒泰
Li Wen-xiu dreams of being a writer in the big city, but life keeps setting her back.
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19
Blossom
九重紫
After a life of betrayal and injustice, noblewoman Dou Zhao unexpectedly wakes up years in the past, carrying her memories and a strange prophetic book.
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20
Love Story in the 1970s
纯真年代的爱情
In the 1970s, Fei Ni is a hard-working young woman at a hat factory who dreams of going to college and changing her fate through knowledge.
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21
The Story of Ming Lan
知否知否应是绿肥红瘦
Sheng Minglan is the sixth child of a large, scheming household. Clever and observant but overlooked by her father and family, she learns to hide her talents while quietly working toward…
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22
Love Between Lines
轧戏
Xiao Zhi-yu and Hu Xiu meet during a murder mystery game set in Republican-era China, each playing a made-up character and curious about the person behind the mask.
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23
Love Between Fairy and Devil
苍兰诀
Long ago, Dongfang Qing Cang, the feared leader of the Moon Tribe, abandoned all emotion to gain absolute power.
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24
The Best Thing
爱你
Hotel manager Shen Xi-fan is a workaholic who barely sleeps and suffers from constant headaches.
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25
Eternal Love
三生三世十里桃花
Bai Qian, a fox goddess of the Qingqiu clan, and Ye Hua, the crown prince of Heaven, are bound by a love that stretches across three lifetimes.
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26
Story of Yanxi Palace
延禧攻略
Wei Yingluo is a sharp-witted young embroidery maid who enters the Forbidden City during the Qianlong Emperor’s reign, determined to learn the truth behind her sister’s death.
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27
Fated Hearts
一笑随歌
When her kingdom is close to defeat, the fearless archer Fu Yi-xiao turns a battle by shooting the enemy's crown prince.
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28
Under the Skin
猎罪图鉴
Painter Shen Yi has a rare gift: he can draw a person's face from a description alone.
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29
A Journey to Love
一念关山
Ren Ruyi and Ning Yuanzhou are top assassins from rival organizations who were never supposed to be on the same side.
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30
Hikaru no Go
棋魂
Sixth-grader Shi Guang is looking for a bit of extra pocket money when he touches an old Go board in his grandfather's house and is possessed by the spirit of a Go master from centuries…
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31
You Are My Glory
你是我的荣耀
Qiao Jing Jing is a top celebrity whose perfect image starts to crack when a leaked video exposes her terrible gaming skills, putting her endorsement at risk.
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32
Story of Kunning Palace
宁安如梦
Jiang Xuening once schemed her way to the top of the palace, only to meet a tragic end. Given a second chance, she wants nothing more than to stay away from power and live a quiet life.
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33
Guardians of the Dafeng
大奉打更人
A modern office worker named Yang Ling is transported into the Dafeng Dynasty, where he becomes Xu Qi-an, a low-ranking night watchman.
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34
The Legend of Shen Li
与凤行
Shen Li is a powerful general of the immortal realm who refuses a political marriage and chooses to fight for her freedom.
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35
Blossoms in Adversity
惜花芷
When tragedy strikes the Hua family, the men are sent into exile and the women and children are left to fend for themselves.
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36
Always Home
树下有片红房子
Chen Huan-er moves to a big city with her parents and soon becomes close friends with Jing Xi-chi and Song Cong.
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37
The Early Spring
早春晴朗
Fresh out of college, Shang Zhitao lands a job at a top advertising agency and finds herself working under Luan Nian, a brilliant but famously hard-to-please veteran of the industry.
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38
I Am Nobody
异人之下
Zhang Chu-lan lives an ordinary life until his grandfather's body disappears and he is dragged into the hidden world of the Outsiders, people with supernatural powers.
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39
Love and Redemption
琉璃
A thousand years after the great war between demons and heavens, the souls of the Star of Mosha and the God of War are sent to the mortal world to serve penance.
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40
Who Rules the World
且试天下
Two extraordinary people, the elegant Hei Feng-xi and the bold and free-spirited Bai Feng-xi, meet in a world torn by martial arts feuds and political strife.
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41
Lighter & Princess
点燃我，温暖你
Li Xun is a top student and gifted programmer who has little interest in ordinary college life and keeps his classmates at a distance.
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42
Coroner's Diary
朝雪录
Shen Wan's whole family is wiped out after being drawn into a royal scandal, and she escapes by taking on a false identity in a distant town.
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43
When Destiny Brings the Demon
献鱼
A modern office worker named Zou Yan suddenly wakes up in a cultivation world as Liao Ting-yan, a disciple of a mountain sect.
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44
New Life Begins
卿卿日常
A marriage selection has brought young women from all over the land to Xinchuan. Li Wei just wants to work hard and avoid being chosen, while Yin Zheng, one of the six young masters of the…
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45
The Long Ballad
长歌行
In the Tang Dynasty, after a bloody palace coup, Li Chang-ge's family is slaughtered, but she escapes.
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46
Till the End of the Moon
长月烬明
In a world where demons rule, cultivators send a young woman, Li Susu, back in time with a mission: find out where the terrifying Demon Lord Tantai Jin came from and prevent his rise.
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47
Legend of the Female General
锦月如歌
To protect her family's noble title, He Yan, the eldest daughter of the He family, puts on a mask and lives as the family's eldest son.
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48
Falling Into Your Smile
你微笑时很美
In the fiercely competitive world of e-sports, the all-male ZGDX OPL team reigns supreme, drawing massive attention and devoted fans wherever they go.
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49
One and Only
周生如故
Zhou Sheng-chen, raised by his brother the emperor, has grown into a loyal and gifted general.
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50
Empresses in the Palace
后宫·甄嬛传
Young and innocent Zhen Huan enters the emperor’s harem as one of many new concubines.
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51
The Spirealm
致命游戏
Ling Jiu Shi is pulled without warning into a virtual game where he must make it through twelve doors to escape.
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52
The Double
墨雨云间
Xue Fang Fei loses everything when her father, a wealthy official, is thrown into prison.
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53
Sword Snow Stride
雪中悍刀行
The King of Northern Liang is the most powerful warlord in a land full of war, and his carefree son Xu Feng Nian has never wanted the throne.
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54
Fangs of Fortune
大梦归离
After the goddess who kept the human and demon worlds in balance dies, monsters run wild across the land.
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55
Lost You Forever
长相思
In a world of warring clans, a girl from a fallen royal house grows up hidden and now lives as an ordinary healer.
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56
Flourished Peony
国色芳华
In Tang-dynasty China, He Wei Fang is a merchant's daughter with a rare gift for growing peonies.
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57
Moonlight Mystique
白月梵星
Bai Shuo, the youngest daughter of a governor's house, vows to cultivate immortality to repay a debt of kindness.
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58
Angels Fall Sometimes
谢谢你温暖我
Two students meet at a summer internship fair in their final years of university, and something clicks immediately.
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59
Ultimate Note
终极笔记
Wu Xie and his loud, loyal friend follow a trail that leads to a mysterious island and the story behind his uncle's past.
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60
Justice in the Dark
光·渊
In a future city where rising crime is linked to people born without empathy, a murder case leads a young police officer into an organisation that operates in the shadows.
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61
Glory of Special Forces
特战荣耀
Yan Po Yue is a gifted but lonely young man from a family of soldiers who joins military school to prove himself to his father.
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62
Archives: The Nanyang Mystery
南部档案
In the early Republic era, a strange killing at sea called the Water Ghost Longing for Home sends two Southern Archives investigators to Nanyang.
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63
Battle of Changsha
战长沙
During the Second Sino-Japanese War, a sixteen-year-old girl named Xiang Xiang and her twin brother watch their comfortable life in Changsha turn upside down.
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64
Love of the Divine Tree
仙台有树
Su Yi Shui was a talented young cultivator whose fate was changed by his master eighteen years ago, and she was branded a demon and presumed dead.
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65
You Are My Hero
你是我的城池营垒
A newly graduated doctor is caught in a jewellery store robbery and is saved by a calm, capable special forces captain.
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66
Blossoms of Power
百花杀
After surviving a massacre, Gu Qing Zhi wakes up as Shen Xi He, the Princess of the Northwest, and decides never to be powerless again.
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67
The Bad Kids
隐秘的角落
Three children from a coastal town accidentally film a murder while on a day trip.
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68
Never-Ending Summer
炽夏
Zhou Wan is a determined top student who will do anything to pay for her grandmother's surgery.
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69
Cross Fire
穿越火线
In 2008, e-sports is barely a career and Xiao Feng struggles to keep his small team together. In 2019, a young genius named Xiao Bei plays the same game at a very different level.
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70
The Vendetta of An
长安二十四计
At the fall of the old dynasty the dark guards who secretly ruled Chang'an vanish along with the deposed emperor.
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71
Light beyond the Reed
余生有涯
An ordinary woman with an ordinary marriage suffers a terrible attack and, afraid of being blamed, tells almost nobody.
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72
Are You the One
柳舟记
Liu Mian Tang is a clever, respected leader who is badly hurt in an attack and rescued by a prince. When she wakes she has lost her memory and finds herself living as his wife.
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73
Eternal Love of Dream
三生三世枕上书
Bai Feng Jiu is the last red nine-tailed fox in the world, and she is saved from a savage beast by Dong Hua, the mighty first emperor of Heaven.
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74
The Longest Day in Chang'an
长安十二时辰
It is 744 in Chang'an, the largest city on earth, and a plot to attack it during the Lantern Festival is quietly taking shape.
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75
Lovely Us
如此可爱的我们
A group of kids grows up together in the same old apartment blocks and moves through the summer before the Beijing Olympics.
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76
The Road to Splendor
花开锦绣
Zhao Ling is a generous private salt trader from a humble family with big dreams, and Fu Ting Yun is a noblewoman falsely accused of betraying her family.
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77
Amidst a Snowstorm of Love
在暴雪时分
Yin Guo is a professional billiards player who is stranded during a snowstorm on her way to a tournament. There she meets Yi Yang, a former genius who has left the spotlight behind.
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78
The Romance of Tiger and Rose
传闻中的陈芊芊
Screenwriter Chen Xiao Qian is furious when her leading man refuses to play the part she wrote, and she falls asleep.
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79
My Journey to You
云之羽
Yun Wei Shan is a spy who longs for freedom and is sent to infiltrate a mysterious clan compound.
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80
Immortal Samsara
沉香如屑
Yan Dan and her twin sister are the last of an ancient flower tribe whose blood is a rare medicine.
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81
The Starry Love
星落凝成糖
A queen has twin daughters, one gentle and kind and betrothed to the heavenly prince, the other sharp and clever and promised to the demon prince.
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82
Ancient Love Poetry
千古玦尘
In an age of gods, Shang Gu is the only true immortal born of pure essence, leading the four ancient immortals worshipped by mortals.
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83
The Long Night
沉默的真相
A murder case looks closed: many witnesses, a confession and a suspect who was seen hiding a body.
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84
The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
成化十四年
In the fifteenth century, a senior official and a guardsman look into what seems like a landlord's suicide. Their search soon exposes a bigger criminal plot and a threat of a coup.
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85
Love Game in Eastern Fantasy
永夜星河
Ling Miao Miao is a mischievous girl who is pulled into the mission system of a novel about monster hunting and becomes a villain's side character.
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86
Remembrance of Things Past
我在他乡挺好的
A group of young people born in the eighties and nineties meet in Beijing, each chasing their own dreams in a huge and lonely city.
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87
Love Me, Love My Voice
很想很想你
Gu Sheng is a university student who secretly composes music and dreams of working with her idol, a famous voice actor.
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88
How Dare You!?
成何体统
Cui Hua is an ordinary office worker who suddenly finds herself inside the world of a novel.
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89
The Bond
乔家的儿女
After his wife dies giving birth to their fifth child, a hard and self-centred father leaves the raising of the family to his eldest son.
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90
Northward
北上
Several boys and girls grow up along the Grand Canal in the Jiangnan region. After they part to make their own way, they are drawn back together years later, each facing pressure at work…
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91
Time Raiders
吴邪私家笔记
Wu Xie owns a small antique shop and comes across a mysterious silk manuscript. His uncle finds a hidden map inside, and the family gathers a team of experts to search for the manuscript's…
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92
Forever Love
百岁之好，一言为定
Lin Xi's final year of high school was as perfect as it could be, with good friends, good grades and a bright future.
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93
A Dream of Splendor
梦华录
After finding out her fiancé has left her for another woman, Zhao Pan Er, a clever teahouse owner in Qiantang, heads for the big capital city.
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94
Wonderland of Love
乐游原
Li Ni is a royal grandson who prefers life as a carefree general and is stuck defending a troubled border.
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95
Back from the Brink
护心
An ancient dragon is betrayed and torn apart by the one he loved. Reborn, he must find the pieces of his own body, and the key is held by a young woman who has no idea what she carries.
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96
Shining for One Thing
一闪一闪亮星星
Lin Bei Xing is about to turn thirty when her fiancé, the boy she loved since high school, ends things to be with her best friend.
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97
Will Love in Spring
春色寄情人
Chen Mai Dong is a former rebel who now works as a funeral makeup artist, and Zhuang Jie is a successful medical salesperson who lives with a disability.
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98
The Rebel Princess
上阳赋
A strong-willed noblewoman and a man of humble origins are married for political reasons, and they soon fall in love as they fight to protect their homeland.
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99
Legend of Zang Hai
藏海传
Zang Hai was the son of the Imperial Astronomer until his whole family was murdered before his eyes.
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100
The King's Avatar
全职高手
Ye Xiu is a legend in the online game Glory, known as its top expert, until he is pushed out of his pro team. He takes a quiet job at an internet cafe, but he never stops loving the game.
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Questions about this list
What is the best Chinese drama of all time?
Opinions differ, but our editors put Pursuit of Jade at the top of the list, followed by When I Fly Towards You and Nirvana in Fire. You can open any entry to read the story, see the cast and check when and where it aired.
Where can I watch these C-dramas?
Streaming rights change from country to country and over time, so each drama page shows the network it originally aired on. Many of these series are available on services such as Netflix, Viki, Disney+, iQIYI or Prime Video depending on where you live.
How is this list ranked?
It is an editors’ list, not a vote. We started from fan-rating charts and long-running critical praise, then ranked the final 100 by overall impact, rewatch value and how well each story holds up. As DramaHog members rate dramas, community ratings will play a bigger part.
Episode, cast and poster data from TVmaze. Descriptions are written by DramaHog.