Even for us, the school has become the setting of our lives’ most memorable moments. From love, heartbreak, and fun, being in high school or university helped us experience it all!
Because of this, it’s hard not to appreciate dramas that depict the ups and downs of student life. They represent a dramatized version of our own stories, and we can’t help but fall in love.
The 15 Best Chinese School Dramas You Have To Watch
To help you appreciate those moments, here’s a list of the top Chinese school dramas you should watch.
Keep reading to find out more about these gems!
- A Love So Beautiful (2017)
- My Huckleberry Friends (2017)
- The Big Boss (2017)
- Always Have, Always Will (2021)
- Sweet Combat (2018)
- Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me (2017)
- Accidentally In Love (2018)
- Meteor Garden (2018)
- Skate Into Love (2020)
- When We Were Young (2018)
- Beautiful Time With You (2020)
- All I Want For Love Is You (2019)
- Don’t Leave After School (2021)
- Just An Encore (2019)
- A Little Thing Called First Love (2019)
1. A Love So Beautiful (2017)
This drama is your classic coming-of-age school drama. Chen Xiao Xi and Jiang Chen are high school classmates, who are also neighbors. Chen Xiao Xi is a not-so-studious but cheerful girl who likes Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen is the popular guy in school known for his good looks and high grades.
Together with their classmates, they share the heartwarming days of adolescence. Watching this drama will remind you of the beauty and growth that comes with enjoying youth.
2. My Huckleberry Friends (2017)
Yu Zhou Zhou and Lin Yang were an inseparable pair since elementary school. But, nasty rumors create a rift between the two. And with that, their friendship turns sour.
That is until the two reunite in high school. Zhou Zhou wanted a fresh start, but finding out that Lin Yang was her schoolmate changed her plans. After a few setbacks, the two start hanging out, revealing feelings they didn’t know about.
This drama is about treasuring your friendships while they last. It’s a great show about how two friends will always stand by you, no matter what.
3. The Big Boss (2017)
Childhood friends Ye Mu Xi and Liao Dan Yi have always had a cat-and-dog relationship. So in high school, Ye Mu Xi was extremely excited about finally leaving the annoying Dan Yi behind. But, luck wasn’t on her side, because it turns out that they’re still classmates!
Big Boss is a romantic comedy for all ages. It’s a fun story about two friends who go from being insufferable to intimate together! That’s on top of the hilarious adventures they go on with their friends.
4. Always Have, Always Will (2021)
Small town girl Fang Li befriended the school’s smartest guy, Luo Yan, in high school. To Fang Li, their friendship wasn’t actually a good one. Luo Yan was too smart and intimidating, and she saw him as a nightmare!
Fast forward to three years later, they end up reuniting in college. But there’s a catch: Luo Yan doesn’t remember Fang Li!
This drama revolves around the two as they relive their high school years. Their reunion starts their story, as they recover the moments they once lost, together.
5. Sweet Combat (2018)
Sweet Combat is not your typical school romance drama.
Ming Tian lucked out after getting a scholarship for the elite sports school, Zheng Ze University. But there’s just one worrisome detail: Zheng Ze is an all-girls school! Regardless, Ming Tian, coming from a poor household, decides to accept the offer.
There, he meets Fang Yu, a rich girl and heir to a large conglomerate. There’s a lot of burdens and expectations resting on her shoulders. But she wants nothing more than to shake those off and be a professional mixed martial artist.
To survive this intense high school, Ming Tian asks Fang Yu to train him. The two spend a lot of time together sparring and training. This leads to a sweet yet action-filled romance!
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6. Master Devil Do Not Kiss Me (2017)
When Chu Xia loses her mom suddenly, she ends up in the custody of her mom’s best friend’s family. In their wealthy household, she meets Han Qi Lu. Her new adoptive family decides to put him in the same school as him, where things get a little complicated.
Han Qi Lu, who everyone calls the Master Devil, makes life difficult for Chu Xia. But Chu Xia is steadfast in living life on her own terms. Little do they know, their initial conflicts might just turn into something sweeter.
7. Accidentally In Love (2018)
Cheng Qing Qing may seem like your typical girl-next-door but there’s more to her than meets the eye. Qing Qing is actually a heiress of a rich family!
To find her own path, she decides to escape an arranged marriage. She flees town and enrolls herself into the same college where her parents met.
Beyond love, Qing Qing decided to pose as a college student to find out more about her parents. But what she didn’t know is that her deskmate turns out to be Si Tu Feng, a famous singer! The two end up having bad blood early on, bickering constantly about the smallest things.
As the two continue to lead double lives, what will happen to their relationship? Will Qing Qing find the answers, and the love, she’s searching for? You’ll just have to watch it to find out!
8. Meteor Garden (2018)
You can’t think of Chinese school dramas without bringing up Meteor Garden! Shan Cai is an ordinary girl who gets into the most prestigious high school in the country. The F4, an exclusive group made up of four of the most wealthy and handsome students, rule this school.
Unfortunately for Shan Cai, she immediately clashes with one of them: the arrogant Dao Ming Si. She receives a red card, indicating that she’s become a target of the school’s bullying. Just when she was about to give up, Hua Ze Lei, an F4 member, decides to help her.
After some time, the four boys start to acknowledge Shan Cai. The walls between them start to crumble, paving a new path for friendship and love!
9. Skate Into Love (2020)
Li Yu Bing and Tang Xue share one common goal: to realize their dreams on the ice! Despite that, the two get off to a rocky start. Tang Xue used to bully Li Yu Bing in elementary school, which led to him becoming reserved and timid.
When the two meet again in university, Li Yu Bing has become the school’s ice hockey god. Unlike him, Tang Xue has yet to make a mark as a speed skater. Out of good will, Li Yu Bing appoints Tang Xue to become his helper, as payback for what she did before.
As they spend more time together, Li Yu Bing helps Tang Xue rediscover her passion. At the same time, he also begins to learn how much Tang Xue has changed. Together, they glide on forward to chase after their dreams.
10. When We Were Young (2018)
Let nostalgia hit you with this drama of timeless tales of youth! In the summer of 1996, school runner Yang Xi was chasing down a bike thief. In the middle of this, she gets caught in a lab explosion, making her unable to compete in a tournament.
The following semester, Yang Xi finds out that the culprit behind this is her new classmate. It’s none other than Hua Biao, an arrogant genius from the science department. Because of the incident, everyone, especially Yang Xi, is wary of him.
Hua Biao must prove himself to be accepted by his classmates. Over time, he becomes better acquainted with them and with Yang Xi. But of course, this doesn’t happen without a few hurdles along the way.
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11. Beautiful Time With You (2020)
Ling Xing Chen thought her luck finally turned around when she was seated next to the class genius. But things don’t exactly go her way.
To Lu Yi Bai, the genius popular guy, Ling Xing Chen’s tenacity is something he finds weird. Intrigued by each other, the two eventually grow closer. Together, they spend meaningful moments and endure the ups and downs of high school life.
12. All I Want For Love Is You (2019)
Despite being in high school, Gu Xiao Man is already a champion kickboxing fighter! As an athlete, Xiao Man is unstoppable. But as a student, she gets knocked out by her academics!
As she struggles through every class, Xiao Man can’t help but worry if she’s even going to graduate. Thankfully she has the school’s resident genius (and her crush) on her side, Zuo An! Zuo An agrees to tutor Xiao Man, partly because of his crush on her, and helps her graduate.
When the two finally reach university, sparks begin to fly between the two of them. Will they realize their long-harbored feelings for each other? Well, you’ll just have to witness their journey yourself!
13. Don’t Leave After School (2021)
While high school life comes with many wins, it also makes you face some losses. For the students in this drama, not being able to take or pass the college entrance exams is one of them.
Despite being in the same school, Fang Xue and Wei Lei are like polar opposites. They only have one thing in common, and that’s to get into a good university. With this shared goal, the two form an after school study group alongside other students.
This is a drama about students uniting to face one of their greatest hurdles to adulthood.
14. Just An Encore (2019)
Two best friends and adoptive siblings, Yan Ze and Xi Ye share a dramatic story of love and friendship. Yan Ze is secretly in love with the outstanding Ji Xiao, who is both handsome and smart. But Yan Ze sees herself as ordinary and unremarkable.
She suspects that Ji Xiao may be more into girls like Xi Ye, who is both pretty and smart, unlike her. Likewise, Xi Ye is jealous of Yan Ze for a similar reason. She thinks her friend has become too close to the guy she likes, transfer student Xin Liang.
The two hope to be more like each other. For Yan Ze, she wants to be as remarkable as Xi Ye. While for Xi Ye, she wants to have the carefree and easygoing personality Yan Ze has. As the misunderstandings worsen between the two, what will happen to their friendship?
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15. A Little Thing Called First Love (2019)
This story of self-discovery and love follows an ordinary girl, Xia Miao Miao. She develops feelings for her handsome and talented senior, Liang You Nian.
To overcome her shyness and become closer to him, she decides to step out of her comfort zone. With the help of her friends, she learns more about fashion and starts to join clubs. She even starts to study harder for better grades.
Her first love inspired her to paint her ordinary life in bright colors. And everyday becomes more exciting and fun!
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I hope you enjoyed this list of the best Chinese school dramas!
From first loves, to first heartbreaks, being a student sure comes with a lot of challenges. Each character in the shows we mentioned above can attest to that!
We hope you enjoyed looking through this list. Are you already familiar with some of them? Which one are you most excited to watch?
If you know other great Chinese school dramas, make sure to comment them down below.
Need more inspiration? Check out our list of the 15 best Chinese Actions dramas!