The top Chinese dramas to look forward to in 2026

After a long, exhausting day, there’s a special kind of comfort that only a good drama can offer. For a few precious hours, the stress of work fades into the background, and all that matters is the story unfolding on your screen.

With Chinese dramas reaching a new high lately, it’s no surprise they’ve captured the hearts of viewers everywhere. From heart-fluttering romances and pulse-pounding action to unforgettable characters played by plenty of swoon-worthy actors, we’ve curated the top C-dramas for you to dive into.

Mo Li (莫离)

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• Starring: Bai Lu, Ryan Cheng
• Genre: Historical, Romance
• Episodes: 40
• Where to watch: Disney+, WeTV, Tencent

Ye Li, the eldest daughter of the Ye clan, returns from eight years in seclusion to avenge her destroyed family. Married to the crippled Prince Mo Xiuyao, she soon discovers he harbours his own secret vendetta. As their hidden agendas collide, they form an unexpected alliance. Together, they confront scheming princes and treacherous officials, fighting to restore justice and peace to the empire.

Love in Red Dust (红尘四合)

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• Starring: Wang Xing Yue, Xu Ruohan
• Genre: Historical, Romance, Comedy
• Episodes: 40
• Where to watch: iQiyi

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the fox general Yuwen Hong Ce was ambushed while secretly investigating military corruption. His army was annihilated, and he vanished into hiding. That same night, Wen Ding Yi, the daughter of a high-ranking official, lost her entire family to false charges of treason. Stripped of her name and future, she became Mu Xiao Shu, disguising herself as a man and training as an executioner’s apprentice to one day seek justice. Eight years later, fate reunites them on the execution ground.

Chasing Jade (逐玉)

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• Starring: Zhang Ling He, Tian Xi Wei
• Genre: Historical, Romance
• Episodes: 40
• Where to watch: iQiyi, Tencent

Fan Chang Yu, a butcher’s daughter, and Xie Zheng, a fallen noble, enter a marriage of convenience, but love grows where they least expect it. War tears them apart, yet she wields her knife for justice, and he fights to reclaim his honour. Reunited on the battlefield, they defy fate, fighting side by side to protect each other and uncover the truth.

Overdo (这一秒过火)

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• Starring: Zhang Ling He, Wang Chu Ran
• Genre: Historical, Romance
• Episodes: 36
• Where to watch: iQiyi, Tencent, WeTV

Set in Shanghai during the Republic of China era, Murong Qingyi is mistakenly taken from his family and raised by an abusive adoptive father. As a teenager fleeing his cruel fate, he is rescued by Ren Susu, an act of kindness that inadvertently brings catastrophic ruin upon her family.

When a greater danger threatens innocent lives, Ren Susu makes the ultimate sacrifice: she fakes her death and disappears, leaving Murong Qingyi devastated by the loss of the woman he loves. Three years later, she returns as Murong Qingyi’s sister-in-law. Forced back into each other’s lives, they must confront buried emotions, lingering hatred, and old betrayals.

Zhan Zhao Adventure (雨霖铃)

• Starring: Yang Yang, Zhang Ruonan, Alen Fang
• Genre: Wuxia, Mystery, Adventure
• Episodes: 37
• Where to watch: CCTV, Youku

Zhan Zhao, a fourth-rank imperial guard, pursues an unsolved case in search of the truth. Along the way, he joins forces with Huo Linglong, the fierce daughter of Linglong Villa, and Bai Yutang, the ruthless “Golden-Haired Rat.” Together, they chase clues, bring criminals to justice, and dismantle the web of power Prince Xiang Yang has spun across both court and underworld.

Escape to Your Heart (花开锦绣)

• Starring: Ding Yuxi, Deng Enxi
• Genre: Historical, Romance
• Episodes: 36
• Where to watch: Tencent, WeTV

Zhao Ling, a generous private salt dealer born into humble circumstances, is driven by quiet ambition. Fu Tingyun, a noblewoman falsely accused of an illicit affair, finds her life abruptly overturned. Pursued by both family forces and the imperial court, the two are forced into flight together. As they struggle against an unforgiving fate, they endure relentless danger and hardship, ultimately discovering strength, trust, and love in one another.

Glory (玉茗茶骨)

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• Starring: Hou Ming Hao, Gulnezer Bextiyar
• Genre: Historical, Business, Romance, Drama
• Episodes: 36
• Where to watch: TencentVideo, WeTV

After star magistrate Lu Jinglai is brought down by a murder case, he is left injured, amnesiac, and on the run. He is rescued by Rong Shanbao, the sharp-tongued and cunning daughter of the Tea King. Initially meeting as rivals, Shanbao conceals his true identity and demotes him to a stable boy as an act of revenge.

Forced to play along for the sake of survival, Jinglai soon becomes entangled in the Rong family’s high-stakes search for a suitable son-in-law. Amid power struggles, mind games, and hidden agendas, he and Shanbao engage in a battle of wits and pride — one that gradually deepens into something far more complicated.

Chasing Dreams (梦花廷)

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• Starring: Chen Zhe Yuan, Zhang Jing Yi
• Genre: Thriller, Historical, Mystery, Romance
• Episodes: 40
• Where to watch: TencentVideo, WeTV

Adapted from Xiao Ruse’s novel Xie Luo, the drama follows Princess Tilan of the Southern Xiang Kingdom, whose quiet royal life is torn apart by a sudden palace coup. Left blinded in the chaos, Tilan awakens with an uncanny gift, the ability to foresee the future as a “Blind Songstress”.

Fate draws her into the path of General Tang Qian, a steadfast warrior whose loyalty and warmth slowly become her refuge amid uncertainty. Yet their happiness is threatened by Prince Zhong Xu of Great Zheng, who becomes obsessed with Tilan due to her striking resemblance to his deceased consort.

When I Meet the Moon (折月亮)

• Starring: Lin Yi, Lu Yu Xiao
• Genre: Romance
• Episodes: 30
• Where to watch: iQiyi

Another work from hit author Zhu Yi, best known for Hidden Love and The First Frost, When I Meet the Moon centres on yet another pair bound by longing and unspoken emotion. Shy and socially anxious Yu Li never expected to cross paths with her high school crush again, until graduate school reunites her with Fu Shi Ze. Determined not to let regret define her twice, Yu Li gathers the courage to pursue him, allowing a once-unspoken affection to finally bloom.

Yet love proves more fragile than longing. Old wounds, unresolved trauma, and clashing emotional rhythms slowly pull them apart. Years later, fate offers a second chance: Fu Shi Ze, now a celebrated researcher, returns with renewed resolve just as Yu Li comes back from abroad. As they reunite, both must confront who they’ve become, and whether growing up has finally taught them how to grow together.

Southern Anecdote (南部档案)

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• Starring: Zhang Xin Chen, Ding Yuxi
• Genre: Action, Thriller, Historical, Mystery
• Episodes: 36
• Where to watch: iQiyi

In the early years of Republican-era China, a string of eerie incidents unsettles the Nanyang region. Secret agents Zhang Hai Yan and Zhang Hai Xia of the Southern Archives are drawn into a shadowy investigation involving warlords, political conspiracies, and a deadly poisonous plant.

As danger closes in and each revelation raises the stakes, scattered clues begin to align, pointing toward a single destination. All paths converge aboard the mysterious ship Nan’an, where the truth behind the conspiracy finally surfaces.

The Charming Doctor (医冠楚楚)

• Genre: Romance
• Episodes: 70
• Where to watch: Viu Shorts (Micro-drama)

While studying at medical school, Song Yuan and Lu Huaichen fall deeply in love, only to be torn apart by a devastating misunderstanding orchestrated by a third party. What begins as youthful devotion ends in heartbreak and separation.

Six years later, Lu Huaichen returns from overseas as a renowned medical scholar, while Song Yuan has quietly endured a series of tragedies, including the loss of her child. Just as she prepares to step into a new life and leave the past behind, fate intervenes—Lu Huaichen reenters her world, forcing both of them to confront the love, guilt, and wounds they never truly left behind.

The Reserved CEO Is Captivated (禁欲大佬沦陷了)

• Genre: Romance
• Episodes: 106
• Where to watch: Viu Shorts (Micro-drama)

Determined to save her gravely ill sister, Xu Yanqing becomes entangled in a dangerous contract with the powerful CEO Yu Zhi. What begins as a desperate bargain soon turns personal when a chance reunion reignites old tensions and unresolved emotions.

Passion In The Spring Night (坠入春夜)

• Genre: Romance
• Episodes: 60
• Where to watch: Viu Shorts (Micro-drama)

Born into the Jiang family, Jiang Sining’s life is destroyed by the schemes of her adopted sister, Jiang Sixue, costing her the family she once trusted and forcing her into a fateful encounter with casino boss Qin Shen.

Six years later, she returns under a new identity, infiltrating Qin Shen’s casino as a dealer with revenge as her sole objective. Yet as Qin Shen grows increasingly drawn to her, he begins to uncover a truth neither can escape: she is the woman who once saved his life, and the key to a past that refuses to stay buried.

Love Between Lines (轧戏)

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• Starring: Chen Xing Xu & Lu Yu Xiao
• Genre: Historical, Romance
• Episodes: 36
• Where to watch: Viu, iQiyi, Viki, Apple TV, MGTV

Xiao Zhi Yu and Hu Xiu first cross paths inside a murder mystery game, drawn to each other through carefully crafted personas and fictional plots. What begins as intrigue within the game soon blurs the line between illusion and reality when fate draws them together in real life.

As illusion and truth intertwine across dual narratives, the line between role-playing and real emotion fades, allowing the two to truly see and ultimately fall for each other.

How Dare You!? (成何体统)

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• Starring: Wang Chu Ran & Ryan Cheng
• Genre: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Fantasy
• Episodes: 32
• Where to watch: iQiyi

Modern office worker Wang Cui Hua unexpectedly finds herself in the world of a novel, where she crosses paths with Zhang San, a tyrannical king who has spent a decade being stuck in the novel as well.

Forced into an unlikely alliance, the two must outwit the story itself to survive and rewrite their predetermined, doomed endings.