As someone with a Chinese background, I’ve grown up watching Chinese shows. My parents influenced me to watch Hong Kong martial arts movies and historical dramas. It was only when I got to middle school that I started watching shows of my own liking, which later on influenced me to try to study Chinese (as a Chinese American who grew up going to Saturday Chinese school). If you like watching K-dramas, you may also enjoy watching these Chinese dramas.
A Love So Beautiful
Genre: School, Youth
Cast: Shen Yue (Chen Xiao Xi), Hu Yi Tian (Jiang Chen)
The show follows Chen Xiao Xi as she pursues her neighbor and crush Jiang Chen. Chen Xiao Xi is a cheerful girl who doesn’t like to study, while Jiang Chen is a popular student with good looks and high grades. This is a popular trope within the Asian entertainment industry and A Love So Beautiful does it so well, expect for the many cringey yet sweet scenes within this drama. There is also a South Korean adaptation of this drama available on Netflix.
Put Your Head On My Shoulder
Genre: College
Cast: Xing Fei (Si Tu Mo), Lin Yi (Gu Wei Yi)
About to graduate, Si Tu Mo is trying to figure out what to do after college. Si Tu Mo meets Gu Wei Yi and they accidentally end up living together. As an outstanding physics student, Gu Wei Yi knows what he wants to do in life, and he helps Si Tu Mo while she struggles with making the decision of following what she wants and what others expect of her.
This show is based on a novel. If you’re in college and trying to figure out what to do with your life, this show can be inspiring and iss full of cute, romantic scenes. I really like this show because their relationship is really cute and you can’t help but cheer for the couple to get together faster.
Meet Yourself
Genre: Healing
Cast: Liu Yi Fei (Xu Hong Dou), Li Xian (Xie Zhi Yao)
Xu Hong Dou worked in the hospitality industry at a hotel in the city for a very long time. When her best friend dies, she reconsiders her life. She decides to take a break to go to a remote village that she had planned to visit with her best friend. While figuring out what kind of life she wants for herself, she meets other people living in the same guesthouse who are also escaping from the city to find a more peaceful lifestyle. In the village, she also meets Xie Zhi Yao, who quit his high-paying job to return back to the countryside and start a tourism business.
This drama is so relaxing, slow, and healing. It might be considered slow to someone looking for more action, but if you love “Hometown Cha Cha Cha” and “Summer Strike,” I recommend that you watch this drama. It gave me the desire to travel somewhere, take a long break, and figure out what to do in life. There are also so many cultural aspects incorporated into the show that I really enjoyed seeing. This drama is very wholesome because of the people she meets and how they become like family. The characters in the show are more mature and I loved the character growth. You really start to love the village by the end of the show.
Love Like The Galaxy
Genre: Historical, Military
Cast: Zhao Lu Si (Cheng Shao Shang/Niao Niao), Leo Wu (Ling Bu Yi/Zi Sheng)
Ling Bu Yi is a talented and ruthless general who is trying to uncover the events that led to the massacre of an entire city and his clan. He falls in love at first sight with Cheng Shao Shang, a neglected and uneducated girl who was left behind by her parents when they went to fight in the war. She reunites with her parents after years of not knowing what her parents and brothers looked like. Due to her past, she is stubborn and untrusting, especially when Ling Bu Yi resolves to marry her.
This show has lots of drama, familial love, and politics. Their relationship is full of ups and downs. She has to adjust to many things, such as her reunion with her parents and becoming educated about rules in society and the palace. I really liked the historical costumes in this drama even though they were on the more plain side. The drama is really long, but I personally enjoyed watching it because of my desire to see the couple ending up together.
Go Go Squid
Genre: Gaming
Cast: Yang Zi (Tong Nian), Li Xian (Han Shang Yan)
At 19, Tong Nian is a part-time online singer and a genius computer science student with excellent grades. One day, she meets Han Shang Yan, a retired former legend in the e-sports world. He has set up his own esports club, K & K. She wants to approach her crush and get closer to him. A series of coincidences brings them closer together, and Han Shang Yan begins to open up to her.
If you like “Falling Into Your Smile,” you will definitely like this show. I really liked the relationship between Tong Nian and Han Shang Yan. Tong Nian is very bubbly and optimistic and softens Han Shang Yan. They fall in love and support each other while they work hard to pursue their dream of winning the championship.
If you’re looking to enjoy a drama that is outside of your comfort zone or you’re looking for a new Chinese drama to enjoy, take a chance with any of these!