Romance dramas are always an option on the table. Whether you’re in a bad mood, a good mood, or an apathetic mood, cheesy romance dramas will manage to put a smile on anyone’s face.
Chinese romance dramas, in particular, don’t shy away from the extreme end of cheesy punchlines, romance drama cliches, and predictable romantic plotlines.
However, we’re going to argue that because of their ability to embrace all the elements that make up a classic romantic drama, they’re considered one of the most engaging drama types you can watch!
The 10 Best Chinese Romance Dramas
Interested in a weekend of bingeing nothing but cheesy pick-up lines, love triangles, and enemies-turned-lovers tropes?
Check out our list of the best Chinese romance dramas below!
- Love 020 (2016)
- A Love So Beautiful (2017)
- Accidentally In Love (2018)
- My Amazing Boyfriend (2016)
- The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020)
- Unexpected (2018)
- Nice To Meet You (2019)
- The Starry Night, The Starry Sea (2017)
- Stay With Me (2017)
- Our Glamourous Time (2018)
1. Love 020 (2016)
Love 020 is a drama that’s based on a popular novel. It tells the story of two college students, Xiao Nai and Bei Wei Wei, who are pronounced players of the game “Dreaming of Jianghu”.
During their first encounter, Xiao Nai is immediately drawn to Wei Wei. However, it’s not because of her beautiful looks, but rather because of how delicately yet deftly she plays the game.
Xiao Nai then embarks on a journey online and offline to try and win over Wei Wei’s heart, but of course, there are many misadventures and mishaps along the way!
2. A Love So Beautiful (2017)
A Love So Beautiful is another drama that was adapted from a popular Chinese novel.
It is a sweet romantic comedy full of heart-clutching adorable moments that will make you want to want to scream at the top of your lungs.
Xiao Xi has had a major crush on Jiang Chen for as long as she could remember. However, Jiang is her childhood friend as well as an immensely popular student who is known for his looks and intelligence.
Follow Xiao Xi as she puts her mind into overdrive figuring out ways to make Jiang Chen fall in love with her. Along the way, her antics, adorable and pure behaviour, and their slowly blossoming relationship will have you rooting for them until the end.
3. Accidentally In Love (2018)
We all love a good story of mistaken identity. If you pair that with a cute, witty, and live-by-her-own-rules character and a popular idol singer, you’ve got yourself a great plot.
Chen Qing Qing is a cute, dramatic, and headstrong girl who is the heiress of a wealthy family. After turning down an arranged marriage set up by her grandfather, she attempts to run away and enroll in a college under a fake alias.
She inadvertently runs into Si Tu Fang, her ex-bench mate from school who has gone on to become a nationally recognized singer.
After a series of mishaps, conflict, and (much) bickering, you guessed it – they start developing feelings for each other.
However, due to their social statuses, it’s not that easy! This series will have you laughing and crying and rooting (loudly, passionately) for the main couple.
4. My Amazing Boyfriend (2016)
My Amazing Boyfriend is a drama about the 500-year-old superhuman Xue Ling Qiao. He had been placed in a deep slumber for the past 100 years but was accidentally awoken by Tian Jing Zhi after she was involved in a car accident.
Using his powers to heal her, and with nowhere else to go, Xue Ling Qiao is forced to move into Jing Zhi’s apartment with her and there the misadventures begin.
We learn that Jing Zhi is actually a B-list celebrity actress who is trying to make it big, and her determination and passion endears her to the viewers. This, along with the blossoming romance between the two characters, makes for a memorable romance drama.
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5. The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020)
The Romance of Tiger and Rose is one of the newer dramas on this list. It made a splash when it was first released in 2020 because of its incredible cinematics and unique plotline.
Chen Xiao Qian is a scriptwriter who’s been experiencing writer’s block. After receiving a critical setback on her latest drama script, she is down in the pits and decides to re-work the entire script.
One day, she falls asleep over the writing desk, and next thing you know, she’s been transported into the fantasy world that she was writing about!
That’s not even the most surprising part of this drama though. In the new fantasy world, Xiao Qian is actually the villain character!
Using her wits and her knowledge of her own script, she embarks on a journey to get back home.
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6. Unexpected (2018)
Unexpected is without a doubt one of the best Chinese Romance dramas!
It’s a romantic comedy that centres around He Jie, a manga artist. One day, he somehow manages to get pulled into his own manga, Crystal Love!
After the initial shock wears off, Jie discovers that in order to return back to reality, he must complete a task.
However, it’s not just any ordinary task! He Jie must somehow rescue his evil second female lead by turning her from a scheming hateful character into a better, much more likeable person.
As you may expect, the task is a monumental one, but along the way he also discovers things about himself that he did not know before.
The concept is similar to the popular Korean Drama ‘W – Two Worlds’ starring A-listers Lee Jong Suk and Han Hyo Joo – however, it is infinitely less melodramatic.
7. Nice To Meet You (2019)
Nice To Meet You has a plotline that isn’t crazy unique. However, it’s the premises and the chemistry between the two actors that really draws you in.
Gao Jie is an aspiring jewellery designer who is finding it hard to hit it big. To pursue her dreams, she embarks on a journey to South America to work at a mining company.
There, she meets the enigmatic Yu Zhi, who is the successor of a jewellery company, and they immediately feel the sparks.
The jewellery company that Yu Zhi works for has, unfortunately, been faltering over the past few years due to fierce competition from western companies. Yu Zhi believes that to move forward, putting a focus on western designs will invigorate the company.
However, Gao Jie is determined to continue designing traditional Chinese-inspired jewellery that is a fusion between east and west.
As you can imagine, this isn’t your typical romance premises, and from their bickering to their slow romance, Nice To Meet You has you wrapped around its thumb from episode 1.
8. The Starry Night, The Starry Sea (2017)
With a title like The Starry Night, The Starry Sea, you can bet you’re in for an exciting fantasy romance drama!
Shen Luo has just moved to an idyllic, quiet island from the big city. She inadverdently meets a mysterious man on the island, who turns out to be a mermaid prince!
This mermaid prince is well-endowed with magical powers, and with them, he helps Shen Luo overcome any obstacles she faces whilst adapting to the island life.
After falling madly in love with her, the mermaid prince woefully realizes that the magical pearl he’s been searching for, for over a century is stuck inside Shen Luo’s body! With the magical pearl being the only thing that can prolong his life, he’s stuck with the most difficult decision of his life.
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9. Stay With Me (2017)
Li Wei Wei is a recognized fashion designer who is 30 years old. Due to an almost-drowning incident, Li Wei Wei loses parts of her memory and regresses back to the tender age of 23.
Many complications arise from this. However, the most jarring thing of all is that Chen Yi Du, her boyfriend when she was 23, is now her arch-nemesis at her workplace. Meanwhile, her childhood best friend, Huo Xiao, is now her fiancé.
Determined to delve deep into her past to right any wrongs, confront misunderstandings, and resolve any conflicts, Wei Wei embarks on a journey of self-discovery and love.
10. Our Glamourous Time (2018)
Lin Qian is a smart and enthusiastic white-collar worker who is rather stagnant in her career progression. Li Zhi Cheng, is a former military officer who is the newly appointed CEO of his family’s company.
Due to Zhi Cheng’s military background and thus lack of business experience, people are not impressed by his appointment and are just waiting for his downfall.
It seems that a chance meeting between them is fate. With Lin’s business acumen and Zhi Cheng’s wit and determination, they save the business from bankruptcy and fall in love all in days of work.
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We hope you enjoyed our list of best Chinese romance dramas! From 500-year-old specimen to mermaid princes, there is no shortage of imagination across these 10 wildly different yet equally engaging dramas.
Similarly, from jewellery designers to second lead characters in a manga, the women protagonists listed above will have you laughing, cheering, weeping, and falling in love oh so easily.
Have you watched any of these before? If so, what are your thoughts? Let’s discuss this in the comments section below!
For more Asian drama inspiration, you can check out our selections of the top 15 Chinese action dramas, the top Vietnamese dramas, the best Thai dramas and the best Korean dramas.