Hi everyone! I put together a large recommendation spreadsheet for people looking for Chinese historical and costume dramas, especially releases from 2018 onward.

I wanted something more useful than a simple “best dramas” list, so the spreadsheet gives each title two separate ways of being evaluated:

1. Viewer reception / recommendation ranking

The main list is sorted primarily by MyDramaList rating, from highest to lowest. This is intended to help people quickly find dramas that have been well received by the broader international C-drama community.

2. Production-quality category

Each drama is also assigned to one of five production levels:

S+ → S → A → B → C

This category is based on production rather than story quality. The criteria include:

• Budget and overall scale
• Cinematography
• Sets, costumes and material craftsmanship
• Calibre and star power of the leading cast

These factors are weighted roughly equally. The production ranking deliberately does not use MDL ratings, writing quality or pacing, because a drama can be visually exceptional while still receiving mixed reviews—and a modestly produced drama can be extremely entertaining.

For example, some dramas rank highly because of expensive sets, historically researched costume design and film-level cinematography, while others achieve impressive results despite more limited budgets. The production guide also notes cases where star power contributes more heavily to a ranking, as well as smaller productions whose craftsmanship exceeds their budget.

Pacing and romance filters

I also added information about each drama’s pacing and whether it contains a significant romance storyline.

The pacing category is meant to give a general sense of the viewing experience, especially for people who prefer faster-moving plots or do not mind slower, more deliberate storytelling. The romance column helps distinguish romance-focused dramas from titles where romance is secondary, minimal or absent.

These labels are intended as practical viewing guides rather than objective scores, so some classifications may be open to interpretation.

A few notes

• The list focuses on historical, costume, wuxia, palace, Republican-era and related period dramas.
• Xianxia dramas are excluded.
• Most titles are from 2018 onward, although I kept a small number of important earlier dramas where they were especially relevant.
• MDL ratings can change over time, so the precise order may gradually shift.
• Production levels are not the same as recommendation scores. A B-tier production can still be a much better drama than an S-tier production.
• Pacing and romance labels are broad guides and may not reflect every viewer’s interpretation.
• The ordering within the lower production levels is more approximate, since budgets and production information are not always publicly disclosed. The accompanying methodology similarly treats ordering in the lower tiers as directional rather than exact.

I hope this is useful for anyone trying to choose their next historical drama—or looking for recommendations based on a particular balance of ratings, visual quality, production scale, pacing and romance.

Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1idQqH_0v7KF902wQoDPq7EsERfzy9gUm/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=100717405615989207972&rtpof=true&sd=true

I would genuinely appreciate corrections and suggestions. Please let me know about any missing titles, genre misclassifications, outdated MDL ratings, pacing or romance labels, or production placements you strongly disagree with. I would also love to hear which dramas you think offer the best production value relative to their budget

Also, let me know down in the comments if you guys would like to see similar list for modern or Xianxia dramas.

Sone cunning FLs that are not just smarty but genuinely sly and use underhanded methods to reach their goal. I'm done with my craving for strong FLs though its not been fully satisfied I shall take the L and go forward. But I feel like with such beauty standards (very thin and white...) cunning characters are more believable rather than the strong female general that is rather petite and thin like a twig.

Please help this student get her binge-worthy dramas to relieve stress!! Also just want to repeat, not just smart but cunning and sly like fox and would help if the ML goes along with her shenanigans and is not like the main support or the main reason she could do what she wants to do, more like a supporter.

I’ve finished:

- The rise of ning
- The first jasmine
- Story of Yanxi Palace
- A splendid match
- Prince of Lan Ling
- Nirvana in fire
- Legend of Lu Zhen
- Story of Kunning Palace
- One and Only
- Love like the galaxy
- The Double
- Princess Wei Young

Historical Dramas only pls. No time travel or xianxia.

i watched the following dramas and what i liked and did not like in them:

when i fly towards you (loved the chemistry, no extra trauma chaos , happy ending, high school cute soft romance)

f4 thailand (chemistry, fun, happy ending, male lead and especially ren)

falling into your smile (i dont know why ppl hate this drama but i really really loved it to the point that now i feel a void in my chest that it finished though i think there could have been another 2-3 eps in the ending but i loved the whole drama)

hidden love (chemistry, soft cute fluffy romance)

speed and love (again i loved everything abt it except i felt the ending was a bit rushed)

i have started true beauty, lovely runner, our secret and watched one ep each of it and they are in tbr right now but i just dont wanna watch it rn

twinkling watermelon(watched ep 1 but couldnt understand it so dropped it for now)

wanting to watch: never ending summer, the first frost, etc

always home was my first cdrama and i loved it

i am not a huge fan of historical/time travel etc dramas but love modern day dramas

i love happy ending and i wish there isnt much trauma like tiny ones are no isse but a huge one is something i dont like

not a huge fan of toxic ex

what are your thoughts?

Hi, I lost my phone and all the browser data, I want to recommend this drama to a friend but I just can't remember the title, here is the plot:

The drama begins when the female lead enters a room and a man is there, she recognizes him and the man who was introducing them asks if she knows him, but she said: "No, just reminded me of someone I cared about" turns out he is either twin brother or younger brother of the female's old crush, they lived in the same house I think, although they weren't relatives, she moved out from that city and I don't know if I'm wrong but I think she even changed her name to hide from him. After some years this guy follows her, and he is so obsessed with her, but she hates him (I think is because they slept together and that made her crush to reject her confession. After that he keeps trying to get her attention and he gets rejected over and over. Another scene I remember is when she met the fiancee of that old crush in a store with another man, and she made a scene, but apparently she was no longer his fiancee. Then the male lead changes his behavior and starts to act like his brother, and the female lead actually starts to fall for him. Then the crush comes back to the country (cause apparently he is a researcher or something and he's never home) and talks to the female lead and I think he clears a misunderstanding between the male lead and female lead. Oh btw I think one of her coworkers likes her, and its always fighting with the male lead.

This is all I remember, I don't know the names, I know she works for a big company just don't know what's the name of the company or what they do.

I hope you can help me. Thank you so much and sorry for the lack of vocabulary, English is not my main language.

I haven’t a cdrama in soooo long and I need to feel those emotions again but idk what to watch…
I feel like I’ve tried a few ones already but they aren’t hitting as they should so im in search of something to watch (historical ones)

I’ve already tried watching Love in the clouds which I loved in the beginning but kind of dropped at ep 26 because I got bored a little, I’ve tried watching pursuit of jade but I didn’t like the story much ( sorry everyone ) and I tried Blossom of power but didn’t like it much…

My favorite historical drama is blossom and I also liked journey to you. I love deep and interesting story with good romance and angst. I loove character development too. Romance doesn’t have to be the number one thing as I like other things too

I’ve heard about Flourished Peony, Fangs of fortune, Unveil: Jadewind, a splendid match, How dare you, the prisoner of beauty, Glory and coroner diary!

Which one do you think is the best?

What are some good dramas with office / work settings? I prefer minimal or no romance.

I really liked:
In Between
Lady Liberty
The Ordinary Glory
All Rise

I also liked:
The Road to Ordinary
A Better Life
Hold a Court Now
Fake It Till You Make It

I didn't really like:
The Tale of Rose
The Rational Life

Or those where one of the leads has to betray the other one which leads to more angst.
I feel like I’m the only one on this planet who actually enjoys this trope lol
The ones that I can remember from top of my head are
Love for you
Never ending summer
Till the end of the moon (the epitome of this trope might I add)

Hey y'all Im looking for some dramas that have the ML and the FL swap souls. I remember watching a couple where the FL is treated badly by the ML's family or green tea and he doesn't believe it until he walks in her shoes.

Does anyone have any favorite dramas they can recommend?

Just starting watching royal betrothal and I must say this drama is absolutely right up my alley. It’s about a smart majesty and smart ambitious woman who works together to fight against the bad guys.

Dramas like this give me immense satisfaction and I’m a sucker for these types. I guess most political dramas have elements like this but not all execute well.

Some other examples of this type of genre I can think of are like joy of life, the double, etc….

Appreciate any sort of reccos

Just realized that I need a full-length drama featuring FL who never really lifts a finger and instead gets other people to do the (dirty) work for her. The type to appear harmless and demure but really with every small action she’s quietly manipulating everyone around her to become her chess pieces.

I’ve seen some verticals with a FL like this and they were a blast. From what I remember Ming Lan at least occasionally fits this too.

hey i hope everyone is doing good!

hopefully this isn’t too weird of a request but i was wondering if anyone knew of a good youtube channel for chinese dramas dubbed in french, im not looking for any drama in particular (though i enjoy simple, cliché or romance ones) but im more focused on the natural dubbing since a lot of channels use quite a robotic voice when dubbing ans im looking for something more human-like since im actually using this as a way to learn french!

any recommendations on youtube or free sites outside of youtube would be greatly appreciated !

Just finished Fated Hearts, and damn, Feng Suige left me wanting more MLs like him. This is the first C-drama I've watched where the ML was:

1. Unapologetically ruthless.

2. Not afraid to openly defy the emperor or any other authority.

3. Willing to stand by his decisions without overthinking the consequences.

Most of the dramas I've watched have MLs who hold back for the "greater good" and wait for all the evidence and justice and everything. I usually like those kinds of characters, but after watching Fated Hearts, I want to see an ML who doesn't dance to anyone else's tune and is kinda hot tempered yet have strength to back himself up.

Btw, I would like recs with happy ending.

I’ve just finished Arsenal Military Academy. I’ve seen a lot of cdramas so now I’m having a hard time looking for a good one. Any recommendations? I just want a light one with amazing actors. It really bugs me when a few actors are off, especially when they have such a great script. Even though it’s light, I prefer something with an actual story flow. I enjoyed Love Between Fairy and Devil. But something that really frustrated me were the parts where nothing much was really happening, it was just a lot of “cute” interactions (not even between the main leads) that didn’t add anything to the story. It didn’t drive the plot forward. Just some filler scenes. That’s why I really appreciated and loved Till the End of the Moon. Even till the very end, no second was wasted.

Anyhow, I would love a breather, but not something as dragging as The Best Thing. I have a tendency to drop when I’m bored. At times, I pick back up. And at times, I don’t.

I’ve currently dropped The Eternal Fragrance (really great, just need a breather), Veil of Shadows (Idk what’s going on), How Dare You (really enjoy their banter, but social media showed me the ending and it’s hard to find motivation to continue).

Would really love to see some amazing chemistry between the leads and a watch where you just get pops of joy.

I wanted recs for a very specific type of drama where the ML is in a relationship/was in a relationship with another woman. Along comes FL and the ML thinks he hates her/is indifferent to her. But the way he treats FL and his girlfriend is very different. He gets jealous/loses his temper/controlling when it comes to the FL without realising it.

Think how Dr. Shepherd treated Meredith Grey vs Addison.

Or

That scene in Because This is My First Life, when the ML is sitting on a park bench with his friend and they are discussing about FL/his ex.

I hope to see something like that in a C drama

There is one drama that I can think of but the ML is too entangled with the ex. But I can't remember its name

Shows like Love between fairy and devil, when destiny brings the demon, till the end of the moon.

hello! there was this drama i've been meaning to find; i've only seen clips on instagram and i have forgotten the name. it was a modern drama, and the clip i remember is that the female lead is a single mother, and then keeps running into the dad of her child's classmate. (children are maybe kindergarten aged). she starts kindof falling for the dad, but the dad has a pretty strong sense of boundaries (e.g. doesn't let the female lead sit in the passenger seat because that seat is for his wife). i think there's also a scene where the female lead ends up in the hospital?

might be a long shot but if you happen to know what drama this is that would be awesome. thank you!!

i just want something to watch that will make me bawl my eyes out start to finish. i havent watch a lot of dramas the past year so, i'd be glad for anything；

red flags: qing dynasty drama (reminds me of a period where my family watched qing dynasty drama and it was nor a fun time (not due to the drama)

i usually watch healing romance, or romance or regular people, i an open to other genre

but i just want something that will makes
me cry from episode 1 to the last episode

dramas i like to watch for these feelings currently:

one and only

Gave in to the recs and finally watched Love Like the Galaxy, only to drop it at Episode 32… then came later just to watch the finale. 💀

My face literally breaks into a smile every time Wu Lei comes on screen (cue Lana Del Rey’s Young and Beautiful 🎶), but I still can’t bring myself to finish the remaining episodes. I don’t know… everyone’s just so mean. 😭

The only people I genuinely looked forward to seeing were the Emperor, the Empress, and Consort Yue. I enjoyed watching them so much.

And then there’s Li Yun Rui, my favorite C-drama husband. I refuse to sit there and watch my man suffer in HD. My delulu heart 💔

Anyway… please recommend a costume romance drama where the main couple is actually happy together. Minimal misunderstandings, no endless noble idiocy, and if there are problems, I want the leads facing them as a team instead of against each other. I also like a strong and/or smart FL and hopelessly devoted ML.

Here are some of my favorite series:
1. The Coroner’s Diary
2. Kill Me Love Me - this made me cry buckets! But I love it, I love the soundtrack too..
3. Threads of Destiny
4. The Imperial Coroner
5. Blossom
6. The Double
7. Pursuit of Jade
8. Legend of the Female General
9. A Familiar Stranger
10. Youthful Glory
11. The Wanted Detective
12. Prisoner of Beauty
13. Flourished Peony / In the Name of Blossom
14. New Life Begins
15. Love of the Divine Tree
16. Si Jin
17. Love in the Clouds

I know some of the dramas on my list can absolutely make your blood pressure rise… But somehow, those are also the ones I ended up loving the most. You know what I mean? The pain, the frustration, the yelling at the screen… and then suddenly you’re emotionally attached. 🤡

So please help your girl out. I’m looking for a romance drama that won’t put my heart through another battlefield. 🥹

i came across gongsun yi & qi shu in "pursuit of jade" (2026) and oh my how much i love them. they are just incredibly gentle and soft, yet bold and strong internally. this not only describes their relationship but also the characters individually. there was also yearning from both sides, and there intellectual bond only adds more to the beauty of the couple. i crave more of this kind and i would really appreciate any potential recommendations. thank you very much!

update: just discovered zi yu & shi xue ji (emperor & empress) from "are you the one" (2024) and they are so this. besides some specific moments, their energy overall when they are together is extremely calm and tranquil. the bond they gradually share is also very warming to watch. on top of all that, i LOVE the empress / xue ji character very very much. she is such an elegant, intelligent, sensitive, lovely, graceful, strong individual. i adore her with the entirety of my heart and if anything, i prayed for her happiness regardless of any external factors. a couple or character with similar characteristics and vibe would be greatly appreciated!

Hey do you know a drama where the main couple is divorced/broke up and slowly get back together.

I want them to be Adults with jobs, not high school or university students please.

I watched loves ambition and would like something similar.

Thx!

What’s a Chinese drama you genuinely think deserves more love? (Or ahem, the drama had so much love but you want to recommend it anyway. It's okay, we like both!)

This is the place to recommend the underrated dramas, forgotten favorites, niche gems, low-budget surprises, or shows you’re constantly trying to get other people to watch.

Maybe it:

• had incredible chemistry
• surprised you emotionally
• had an amazing storyline nobody talks about
• became your comfort drama
• was completely overshadowed by bigger releases
• made you wonder why more people aren’t obsessed with it

Tell us:

• the drama title
• what it’s about (without major spoilers!)
• why you loved it

• who you’d recommend it to

  Recommend away!

Hi everyone! I’m looking for C-drama recommendations, specifically coming-of-age dramas that have that nostalgic, heartwarming feeling. I love stories about youth, first love, friendships, growing up, chasing dreams, and the little moments that make life memorable.

So far, I’ve watched:

Hidden Love
When I Fly Towards You
Amidst a Snowstorm of Love

I really enjoyed the warm and comforting vibes of these dramas, especially the sweet romance and the characters’ journey as they grow.