International films and dramas are experiencing a moment right now, which started in the 2010s and will peak in the early 2020s. People are more willing to consume stuff in other languages and from different nations now because globalisation is at an all-time high. They are also more willing to discuss this newfound love online. Korean dramas and telenovelas are among the most well-liked genres outside of their home nations, but Turkish, Indian, and other East Asian dramas are also getting their share of attention. There is something for everyone on a Friday or free night, whether it is romance, action, or historical shows.
Chinese language dramas, whether from Taiwan or Mainland China, have long been a mainstay of the East Asian drama landscape. These television programmes have large and opulent production values, even if they may not receive as much media attention as their Korean or Japanese equivalents. Local dramas have produced some of the most well-known actors working today in both Taiwan and China, and many drama lovers who keep up with the latest and best from the region consider these programmes to be classics. Having said that, these are the top Chinese dramas now available on Netflix.
Accidentally in Love
Accidentally in Love is a fun Netflix original series that debuted in 2018. The wealthy heiress’s parents have chosen her marriage, but she does not wish to follow their path. She makes the decision to leave on her wedding day because she desires a life that is very different from the one she is currently leading. She alters her name and enrols in college before running into a familiar face from her past existence. Despite the fact that their story will eventually turn romantic and endearing, it turns out that these two are doomed to battle from the moment they begin arguing.
Falling Into Your Smile
Boy drapes girl in necklace When New Style Media Falling Into Your Smile first debuted in 2021, it attracted a sizable internet fan base of devoted drama enthusiasts. The show’s subject matter is quite current, and it was adapted from a Mandarin Chinese webtoon. Tong Yao is the definition of a young, attractive adult, yet she has a passion for an activity that defies gender stereotypes: e-sports, which are dominated by men. Her reputation extends beyond her close friends, though, and when a team management hires her as part of a PR campaign to make her the first significant female player, her professional and romantic prospects shift. Things might not turn out the way she had anticipated them to when she set out to shatter the glass ceiling in this world.
Love O2O
In the fantasy-infused collegiate drama Love O2O, actors Zheng Shuang and Yang Yang from Gcoo Entertainment are the main characters. Even though the programme is currently outlawed in mainland China, it was one of the most popular Chinese dramas of the last ten years, amassing a staggering 25.2 billion views online when it was all said and done. Zheng Shuang plays a computer science student who enjoys playing the online game A Chinese Ghost Story and fantasises about making video games for a living. When she meets her new virtual husband in person after planning an in-game marriage with another character to exact revenge on someone else, she finds out he is far more attractive than she had anticipated.
Meteor Garden
The popular Korean drama Boys Over Flowers and the Taiwanese series Meteor Garden are both adaptations of the popular Japanese manga series Meteor Garden. This drama was produced by the show’s original creator and is precisely a remake of the Taiwanese version. Four conceited, pampered rich males manage Meteor Garden University, the most prestigious institution in the nation. Dong Shancai, a young woman from a working-class background, unfortunately encounters them repeatedly, which leads to the violent head of the group falling in love with her. Although Meteor Garden is a great adaption, it may be improved to fit modern expectations.
My Sunshine
My Sunshine is a 2015 drama film starring Wallace Chung and Tiffany Tang that received positive reviews upon its initial release. Gu Man, the author, adapted it from the Chinese book Silent Separation. A university student falls in love with a fellow law student, leading them to follow their love interest around over the course of several years. The main character, Mosheng, flees to America after learning that the law student has a girlfriend. But when she finally makes it back to China after all those years, she finds that not everything is as it seems and that Yichen, the man she had once loved so deeply, still claims to care for her.
Put Your Head on My Shoulder
The webtoon that served as the inspiration for Put Your Head on My Shoulder, too, had ardent followers before the series’ debut. Situ The main character, Mo, is getting ready to graduate from college and is unsure of what it means to reach adulthood. One day, she meets a brazen physics student who is regarded as one of the campus’s smartest individuals. Every time they interact, the two of them clash, yet thanks to their mothers’ interference, a love story is developing between them. Put Your Head on My Shoulder is a fun, fanciful movie that ends too soon.
The Prince of Tennis
From 1999 through 2008, the well-known Japanese comic The Prince of Tennis was published worldwide, making it one of the most well-known mangas of the decade. The series has been adapted into numerous plays, movies, and even a musical, demonstrating how it is still relevant today. The third Chinese-language adaption of The Prince of Tennis was released in 2018, and it is set in China. In the programme, a tennis prodigy enrols in a prestigious academy and rapidly establishes himself as one of the school’s top tennis players. The characters interact with one another and the problems that are coming their way as they are forced to traverse a coming-of-age story on top of their sporting careers.
The Princess Weiyoung
The Princess Weiyoung is a really good historical drama, which is a mainstay of both South Korean and Chinese dramas. Despite being one of the highest-rated shows to debut that year, The Princess Weiyoung initially received a mixed response. Taking place in ancient China, a princess flees while a ruthless general murders her family. She assumes the persona of a murdered princess and, while seeking revenge for what happened to her, discovers love in the process. The Princess Weiyoung is an epic and dramatic story about finding one’s destiny via a difficult journey filled with loss, pain, and heartbreak.
The Rational Life
The Rational Life, a 2021 film produced by Mango TV, stars Dylan Wang and Qin Lan and has an older female lead. She is in her 30s, has a career, but it is fraught with difficulties. Along with dealing with employees and the typical stresses of the workplace, nepotism is a major problem at her job. She is under social pressure to settle down before it is too late because she is not yet married. However, when she meets a younger man who sparks her interest, things start to look up. Despite their disparate ages, The Rational Life demonstrates that she can live her life without entirely caving in to social constraints.
Who Rules the World
Yang Yang made a comeback in 2022 with the movie Who Rules the World, in which he starred alongside Zhao Lusi. The two leads are set in a historical era in the Let’s Try the World wuxia romance novel that served as its inspiration. Over the course of 40 episodes, a prince and princess are forced into perilous situations due to social pressures and political upheavals. Despite everything going on in their life, the two seem to be drawn to one another despite being complete opposites. The ongoing battle for the throne and the likelihood of betrayal in the society in which these two live make such feelings perilous, though, at the same time.
In the fantasy-infused collegiate drama Love O2O, actors Zheng Shuang and Yang Yang from Gcoo Entertainment are the main characters. Even though the programme is currently outlawed in mainland China, it was one of the most popular Chinese dramas of the last ten years, amassing a staggering 25.2 billion views online when it was all said and done. Zheng Shuang plays a computer science student who enjoys playing the online game A Chinese Ghost Story and fantasises about making video games for a living. When she meets her new virtual husband in person after planning an in-game marriage with another character to exact revenge on someone else, she finds out he is far more attractive than she had anticipated.
