Mix of dramas: costume / historical / fantasy & 20th C and beyond in Chinese (mainland / Taiwanese etc.)

Chinese language dramas

iQiyi

As Chinese military forces fight back against the invading Imperial Japanese army, the government conscripts young men to defend the country. Xie Xiang (Bai Lu) urgently wants to join the battle, fueled by her hatred of injustice. There’s just one problem… she’s a woman! Refusing to let that stop her, she cuts her hair short and assumes her brother’s identity, eventually getting drafted into an elite military academy in Shanghai and befriending other recruits, including the quarrelsome rich kid Gu Yan Zheng (Xu Kai) and the more introverted Shen Jun San (Li Cheng Bin). Xie Xiang wants to keep her true identity a secret, but when both Yan Zheng and Jun San start to fall for her, the challenge becomes increasingly difficult. Will the comrades-in-arms survive the bitter ravages of love and war? This 2019 Chinese period drama was directed by Hue Kai Dong.

Arsenal Military Academy

The All Guns Blazing Team

Hunan TV

The year is 1941 and East Asia is being torn apart by war – on land, at sea, and in the air. Imperial Japanese forces have occupied Hong Kong and work with native collaborators in a bid to impose strict Japanese martial law.

Into this lethal fray steps a young man named Ye Chong (Allen Ren) a fierce patriot and a devoted communist. Recruited by Chinese communist forces, he agrees to go undercover as a double agent.

His role will be to infiltrate the collaborators who are helping Japan tighten its grip on Hong Kong. The role involves becoming the “Autumn Cicada,” a spy who will relay information back to his communist comrades who are still plotting to throw off the Japanese yoke.

The role is perilous, and beset with danger at every turn. When Japanese intelligence officers learn that a mole has infiltrated the military ranks, a deadly hunt begins – in an effort to expose, capture, and torture the Autumn Cicada.

Fortunately, a handful of sympathetic freedom fighters is ready to help Ye Chong complete his mission – including the beautiful He Ying (Li Man).

“Autumn Cicada” is a 2020 Chinese drama series that was directed by Fu Ning and Li Ang.

Autumn Cicada

The Spy Who Loved Me Team

iQIYI

It is the mid-1920s, and a resourceful young police officer named Qiao Chu Sheng (Zhang Yun Long) is on the trail of a brutal but devious killer.

Realizing that the police force will need some extra help with this difficult case, he decides to form an elite crime-busting detective team.

He reaches out to a young man who has recently returned from studying in Great Britain, Yu Gong Zi (Hu Yi Tian). Qiao Chu Sheng has learned that Yu Gong Zi has remarkable powers of deduction and a brilliant mind – and believes he can help crack this difficult case.

To round off the team, he enlists the help of Bai You Ning (Xiao Yan), a focused young female reporter for a daily newspaper. A free-thinking, independent young woman, she has a strong sense of justice – and pledges to help catch the killer.

Can the trio get to the bottom of the murder case in time to restore order – and bring the dastardly criminal to justice?

“My Roommate Is a Detective” is a 2020 Chinese drama series directed by Zhang Wei Ke.

My Roommate is a Detective

🕵Team 7️⃣ - Roommates🕵🏼‍♂️

In 1937, the city of Beiping fell to Japanese forces. In order to protect both students and faculty, a number of the northern universities decided to move their schools south. Traveling to Changsha, these universities tried to keep their classes going, but war quickly followed them. Having been separated from her parents during the chaos, Meng Hai Tang (Zhang Ruo Nan), a new student at the Fuhua University, found herself having to trek the perilous journey on foot to finally reach Kunming, a relatively safe city in Yun’nan Province in Southwestern China.

During her travels, Meng Hai Tang found herself growing closer to Zhang Qi (Hu Yi Tian), the man her parents had betrother her to while she was still just a child. Although firmly against an arranged marriage, she found herself unable to deny the attraction she felt towards the handsome and intelligent young pilot who was dedicating his life to serving the country in a time of national crisis. As captain of Hanguang Squadron, Zhang Qi fought fiercely and bravely against the Japanese forces despite the odds stacked steeply against him.

The two of them, along with their friends and pilots, would also fight against a second front where for-profit collaborators were smuggling China’s treasured Shang-dynasty relics, the oracle bones from three thousand years ago, to Japan. Will they survive the turmoil of war or will the sacrifices they're forced to make keep them apart forever?

Inspired by true events, “Defying the Storm” is a 2022 Chinese historical romance drama directed by Jin Chen.

Defying the Storm

​​ Intellectual Challenge Team

In 1926, Mu Wan Qing (Zhang Jing Yi) returns to Shanghai, seeking answers about her parents’ separation and her brother’s death under the guise of simply burying her deceased mother’s ashes. With the help of powerful allies Tan Xuan Lin (Chen Xing Xu) and Xu Guang Yao (Lin Yan Jun), she delves into a web of secrets, uncovering a past more tangled than she ever imagined. Wan Qing must decide if the answers she seeks are worth the price of her heart, as family, loyalty, friendship, and love collide in a city on the brink of chaos. This 2021 Chinese historical romance drama was directed by Lin Jian Long and Chen Guo Hua.

Fall in Love

♡ Once Upon in Love ♡

It is the early years of the tumultuous Republic of China period of mainland Chinese history (1912–1949). Shanghai is a city divided into a number of jurisdictions, known as Concessions, mostly ruled by foreign powers – and crime is rife.

Gangs roam the city streets, knowing they can commit crimes in one concession and escape to another without a trace. The police’s methods have become increasingly brutal, while more and more of the police force is becoming corrupt.

Amid the chaos, one young man named Wu Qian (Huang Zi Tao) enters a lucrative but shady competition, in a desperate bid to help his best friend, Wei Cheng Feng (Liu Yu Ning), whose grandmother has been struck down by a debilitating illness.

However, taking part in this competition proves to be fateful for Wu Qian. He finds himself dragged into a bitter struggle between foreign despots and the local police.

But along the way, he also makes the acquaintance of when he meets beautiful, patriotic freedom fighter He Hong Yi (Zhang Xue Ying), who convinces him that the concessions system should be overthrown. The two are drawn together – only to be wrenched apart by the chaos around them.

With overseas tyrants and home-grown crime chiefs all vying for control of the city, Wu Qian and soon He Hong Yi find themselves caught up in a violent and dangerous power play – and ultimately separated.

Wu Qian longs for a reunion with He Hong Yi, but faces a massive setback when he is tortured and imprisoned by corrupt police officials. Fortunately, Wu Qian is a real tough cookie who is not short on street smarts and martial arts skills…

Can he fight his way out of prison, and into He Hong Yi’s arms? And how will their shared struggle against the corrupt system end?

“Hot-Blooded Youth” is a 2019 Chinese drama series produced by Li Li Ying and Bai Yi Cong.

Hot-Blooded Youth

The Youthful Team

In the period between the last days of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) and the early Republic of China (1912-1949), China is in turmoil. The forces of modernity and antiquity are slowly starting to come together, but the land is full to bursting point with sorcerers, conjurers, necromancers, and the like. Most of these, however, are nothing but charlatans and con artists. Enter Kong Xue Li (Zhang Yu Jian), a budding young policeman, and Fang Dong (Wu Cheng Xu), a keen-minded coroner. This duo has become myth-busting hoax detectives, using their wits and knowledge of contemporary science to expose scammers for what they really are and show that what many people mistakenly believe are supernatural spirits are actually smoke-and-mirror tricks from con artists.

But when what at first glance seems to be the powers of darkness threaten to bring terror and death to the residents of a city, the duo must step up their crime-fighting activities. Things get a little more interesting for Kong Xue Li, too, when he meets a sassy and beautiful no-nonsense restaurant owner (Liang Jie). Can this trio put an end to the violence and ghoulish terror that has the city in its grips?

“Detective Kong” is a 2021 Chinese period drama series that was directed by Zhao Jun Kai.

Detective Kong

🔍⚜ Flower Detectives ⚜🔎

Mango TV

From humble beginnings, Cheng Yi Zhi (Steven Zhang) has always struggled to find his place among the hustle and bustle of 1930s Shanghai. With very little to his name, he has managed to eke out a meager living by working in the industrial and commercial shops at the heart of the city. But after a chance encounter with Wu Ru Fu, a well-established banker and his daughter, Li Zi (Elvira Cai), Yi Zhi finds something he’s never had before: a dream and the will to pursue it. 

Giving up his life in the shops, Yi Zhi enters the world of finance. With his quick wit and natural skill, he soon catches the eye of Boss Huang (Zhang Zhi Jian), one of the banking industry’s biggest players. Quickly earring Boss Huang’s trust, Yi Zhi soon finds himself the boss’s closest confidante. Privy to Huang’s darkest secrets, Yi Zhi uncovers a truth so shocking, it drives him from Huang’s side. With Li Zi’s support and encouragement, Yi Zhi is determined to make his own way in the world of finance, leaving Boss Huang to his own nefarious dealings. But Huang isn’t one to be turned away so lightly.

Seeking to destroy the man who once stood by his side, Huang will stop at nothing to bring Yi Zhi down. But the righteous young banker won’t go down without a fight. With the underground party of industrialists backing him, Yi Zhi faces off against Boss Huang; but will the combined strength of the people be enough to overthrow this mighty foe?

A sweeping tale of money, justice, and unwavering love, “The Justice” is a 2021 historical romance drama directed by Liu Biao.

The Justice

The ⚖️ Justice Seekers 🔎 Team

Branded as an outsider and shunned as such, Shang Xirui (Yin Zheng) has faced a lifetime of trials but that has never once stopped him from reaching for his dream. An exceptional talent in the world of Peking opera, Xirui has but one dream, to share his love and knowledge of this beautiful, traditional art form with the world.&nbsp;

When wealthy businessman, Cheng Fengtai (Huang Xiao Ming) attends one of Xirui’s performances, he’s captivated by both the art and the artist. Sharing a passion for Peking opera, Fengtai and Xirui soon become the best of friends. An avid supporter of Xirui’s work, Fengtai helps his Xirui rebuild a local theater and train a new troupe of aspiring actors, to carry on the art and its traditions.

As the two work closely together, their friendship blossoms, both finding something in each other that neither has had before: a true friend. But in the summer of 1937, everything they love and have worked so hard for is threatened, when the Japanese army invades Beijing. Knowing they must fight to protect that which they love most, the two take up arms in defiance of those who threaten to destroy everything they hold dear.

Based on the novel of the same name by Shui Ru Tian Er, “Winter Begonia” is a 2020 period drama directed by Hui Kai Dong.

Winter Begonia

The Winter Begonia Team

Tencent

Newly qualified doctor Mi Ka (Sandra Ma) joins a joint emergency rescue training exercise with an elite special forces unit, but finds herself thrust into action right away when a powerful earthquake devastates the city. She finds herself working with special ops agent Xing Ke Lei (Bai Jing Ting), but this isn’t the first time they’ve met – a series of misunderstandings previously left them both with poor impressions of each other. With hundreds of people in mortal danger, they must put their personal issues aside and work together to save lives. As the nation’s situation starts to become more perilous, can they rescue those in need? And might love bloom between them as they learn the true meaning of teamwork? This 2021 Chinese drama series was based on the novel by Mu Qing Yu and was directed by Zhang Tong.

You Are My Hero

Tencent, Mango TV

Aspiring screenwriter Chen Xiao Qian (Zhao Lu Si) is struggling to get her TV series off the ground. The male lead is kicking up a fuss about her script, leading her to worry that the series will never reach viewers’ screens. Suddenly, she is dragged into the pages of her own screenplay, where she becomes the Third Princess, a lowly minor character with a terrible reputation... and a drastically short lifespan! Fortunately, she knows that her killer will be Prince Han Shuo (Ding Yu Xi) and Xiao Qian uses her “insider knowledge” to rewrite the character’s fate to ensure she survives. Can she cheat death and reverse her TV show’s fortunes? And could this messy situation inadvertently lead her to love? This 2020 Chinese drama was based on a novel by Popsicles and was directed by Cha Chuen Yee.

The Romance of Tiger and Rose

When two sides of the same woman fall in love with two different princes, can either find true love?

Qu Tan Er (Liang Jie) is the second daughter of the Qu family. She is in love with the king’s oldest son, Mo Yi Huai (Wang Rui Chang), but she is being forced to marry Yi Huai’s younger brother, Mo Lian Cheng (Xing Zhao Lin), the eighth prince of the Dong Yue Kingdom. 

Unhappy with the forced marriage, Tan Er tries to commit suicide, only to wake up from her failed attempt with the spirit of another woman also taking up residence in her body. The modern Xiao Tan (also played by Liang Jie) has the opposite personality of Tan Er, cheerful and assertively strong. She is stuck in the past world and has so far been unsuccessful in her attempts to find a way back to the modern times. Whenever one of the women tells a lie, the other personality would take over the body.

To complicate the situation, Lian Chen falls in love with the vivacious Xiao Tan. What will become of the unusual foursome, and will Xiao Tan be able to find her way back to her own time?

“The Eternal Love” is a 2017 Chinese drama series. It is based on the novel Hilarious Pampered Consort: Lord I Will Wait for Your Divorce by Fan Que. The series was followed by the sequel “The Eternal Love 2” (2018).

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