Best (mostly) historical dramas from various countries

Best historical dramas

Beijing TV, Dragon TV

In the midst of a bitter feudal conflict between the Northern Wei and Southern Liang dynasties, Lin Shu (Hu Ge) helps the Liang secure a significant victory. Betrayal follows, leading to the massacre of his family. Poisoned and transformed, Lin Shu becomes Mei Chang Su, adopting a new identity to seek revenge. He allies with Prince Jing (Wang Kai), an unfavored royal heir embroiled in a fierce succession battle, and reconnects with Mu Ni Huang (Liu Tao), a strong-willed female general resistant to traditional marriage expectations. As Mei Chang Su navigates the complex imperial court, he carefully plots his path to justice while concealing his true identity. Will he successfully avenge his family and expose the truth behind their betrayal? "Nirvana in Fire" is a 2015 Chinese historical drama series directed by Kong Sheng and Li Xue.

Nirvana in Fire

Lang Ya Bang

KBS2

During the Joseon Dynasty, Kim Yoon Hee (Park Min Young) disguises herself as a boy to support her struggling family by taking entrance exams for other students at Sungkyunkwan University. When the principled Lee Sun Joon (Park Yoo Chun) discovers her scheme, he unexpectedly helps her take the exam under her brother's identity and enter the university herself. They become roommates and classmates, with Yoon Hee befriending the playboy Goo Yong Ha (Song Joong Ki) and rebellious Moon Jae Shin (Yoo Ah In), while simultaneously developing feelings for Sun Joon. As she struggles to maintain her secret identity, Yoon Hee must navigate the challenges of university life and her growing emotions. This is a 2010 South Korean historical drama series based on a bestselling novel and directed by Kim Won Suk and Hwang In Hyuk.

Sungkyunkwan Scandal

After being found in 918, the kingdom of Goryeo faced a critical existential crisis when the powerful Yuan dynasty tried to subjugate them. In the fictional setting of this drama, a warrior living in the timeline of Goryeo meets a plastic surgeon living in the present day. The plastic surgeon gets kidnapped by the warrior who got an order from the king to find a doctor who can cure the fatally injured queen. The two individuals who were not meant to coexist are brought together to fight their way through the ordeals on the land of Goryeo. The warrior makes a promise that he will return her to her world, but a scheming royal advisor persuades the king to force the surgeon to stay as she can be useful to him. There, the surgeon falls in love with the warrior who is the leader of the royal guard. In this era of change and chaos, love that transcends time and space blooms.

The Great Doctor

The Faith Team

In the middle of the 18th century in Joseon, the social class's severe contradiction and rapid change are vividly described through the main character of this story, who was born into the lowest-class family. This is a story about the hope and self-consciousness of the lowest class of people, who were evaluated only by the value of wealth without being recognized for the minimum value as a human being. In addition, it introduces the reality of the underground organization of the lowest class of people, which emerged as a serious social problem during the Manchu Invasion of Korea in 1636.

Jewel in the Crown

Sign of the Heavens Team

Young Jang Geum is caught up in palace strife, loses her parents, and enters the palace as a court lady of the royal kitchen. Jang Geum, possessing the finest palate, becomes a court lady of the royal kitchen recognized for her abilities in the palace. With her food, she pleases the royal family who has abstained from food and drink or is ill and saves the royal family fallen into crisis. She leaves the palace caught up in incidents that slander her, but Jang Geum overcomes adversity and begins life in the palace again as a nurse. With her special qualities of a challenging spirit and tenacity, Jang Geum masters remarkable medical treatments and begins to earn the king's trust.

Jewel in the Palace

The Jewel Polishing Team

Hunan TV

During the Chinese Northern Qi dynasty, Lu Zhen (Zhao Li Ying) escapes an arranged marriage and enters the palace as an attendant. She meets Prince Gao Zhan (Chen Xiao), and despite their deep love, their social differences seem insurmountable. Using her exceptional pottery skills, Lu Zhen navigates palace politics, facing challenges from Empress Lou and Prince Gao Yan (Qiao Ren Liang). Though Gao Zhan cannot marry her, he supports her rise through the palace ranks, ultimately helping her achieve the unprecedented position of female prime minister. This is a 2013 Chinese historical drama series directed by Li Hui Zhu and Deng Wei En.

Legend of Lu Zhen

The Legendary Team

Lee Do is the third son of King Taejong of the Joseon dynasty. He becomes Sejong the Great, a well-known king with brilliance, but he is deeply traumatized as he has seen massacres committed by his father since he was young. Being a workaholic and an insomniac, he strives day and night to understand ordinary people and become a righteous king. Chae Yoon comes from a family of slaves, but he has become an officer working in the Royal Guards. He thinks his father died because of Lee Do and plans to take revenge on him. So Yi is the court maid that Lee Do's son loves. Although aphasic, she is smart, insightful, and passionate about creating the Korean alphabet. Ki Joon earns Lee Do's trust and gets involved in his project to create the Korean alphabet, but he secretly plans to stab Lee Do in the back. With all these people entangled with each other, serial murders happen at the palace, and the project to create the Korean alphabet doesn't go smoothly.

Tree With Deep Roots

Deep Rooted Friends Team

Based on the life story of Baek Pa Sun, Jung Yi faces the struggle of being a woman who happens to be the best in her craft in the middle of the Joseon Era. She happens to be close with Prince Gwanghae and also masters the art of ceramics. She's out to find justice for her father and re-enter the palace of Bunwon as the best ceramist of the kingdom.

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