Historical / Costume C-Dramas

wuxia/xianxia/historical fiction dramas all mixed in this list, in the order in which i've watched them.

always on the hunt for shows with smart/strong characters, happy endings, found family tropes

dancersbook Aug 2, 2023

31 Titles 1 Love

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1. Who Rules the World

Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

8.5
- both smart & strong leads, mature relationship, cool action scenes
- after my rewatch : it's an ambitious show weaving in the martial art world, inner court politics / fight for the crown AND tension between kingdoms -- in that quest for impressive world-building, in terms of characters, some antagonists became boring because they were repetitive / flat. BUT the dynamics and skills of the leads still made me enjoy this!
2. The Untamed

Chinese Drama - 2019, 50 episodes

8.0
- appreciated the costumes, action scenes, showcase of erhu & guqin
- had skipped/fast-forwarded a few subplots
3. Legend of Fei

Chinese Drama - 2020, 51 episodes

7.5
- strong FL, funny ML, mature relationship, cool action scenes
- found family, happy ending
- it got draggy at some parts, which I skipped/fast-forwarded through
4. Maiden Holmes

Chinese Drama - 2020, 32 episodes

8.5
- another one of my favourites, with smart & strong leads, mature relationship
- conflicts (e.g identity reveals) only last a short while, which is fair enough
- found family, happy ending
5. The Imperial Coroner

Chinese Drama - 2021, 36 episodes

7.5
- smart leads, FL gives scientific autopsy reports -- well done to scriptwriters
- didn't like the huge difference in power dynamics the leads had though, even with the mature communication
- found family, happy ending
6. A Girl Like Me

Chinese Drama - 2021, 40 episodes

8.0
- smart ML, strong FL -- just wished FL was less impulsive
- cool action scenes, supportive family
- watched for Neo Hou -- couldn't take him seriously after WWWY cuz of the voice dubbing in this one, but I understand audiences prefer deep voices for serious characters
7. The Killer Is Also Romantic

Chinese Drama - 2022, 18 episodes

8.0
- strong leads, cool action scenes, not too complex of a plot
- some acting was a bit stiff but overall decent for a mini drama
- happy ending
8. Love Like the Galaxy: Part 1

Chinese Drama - 2022, 27 episodes

8.0
- interesting dynamic between the leads -- despite the status difference, I did not feel like the ML was too high up like the one in Imperial Coroner
- can see the FL's growth/maturity
- fast forwarded the heavy palace politics as usual
9. Love Like the Galaxy: Part 2

Chinese Drama - 2022, 29 episodes

8.0
- shows even more of the morally grey characters
- brilliant acting
- satisfying/happy ending
10. Till the End of the Moon

Chinese Drama - 2023, 40 episodes

7.5
- overall, leads were solid, fairly satisfying ending after a lot of betrayal etc
- had the fantasy, romance, adventure, action elements I was looking for
- gorgeous visuals but some middle episodes dragged on for too long
- the angsty romance across different lifetimes arc isn't my cup of tea
11. Back from the Brink

Chinese Drama - 2023, 40 episodes

8.5
- strong & smart FL, righteous
- ML also strong
- humour throughout series made it less hard to finish
- happy ending
12. A Dream of Splendor

Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

8.0
- smart & strong leads, challenge social hierarchy
- pretty sceneries & costumes
- pacing was good until misunderstandings (between friend group & leads) which dragged for a bit which caused me to skip like 5 episodes
13. The Blood of Youth

Chinese Drama - 2022, 40 episodes

8.5
- interesting characters w/ diverse personalities & missions!
- 'soul land' vibes with the martial arts/ cultivation (powers etc), as well as found family/camaraderie
- pacing of plot was so well done, i could also follow the politics with no problems, didn't skip any episodes
- surprising, entertaining comedy relief moments
14. Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Chinese Drama - 2023, 40 episodes

7.5
- love watching chengyi act but he do be always acting in angsty roles. pls is there a happier drama he's in yet
- melancholic vibes throughout the show cuz lead is a dying man :') ofc it's not all sad, more bittersweet/ retiree vibes AHAHA
- the case solving started to get repetitive/ drag a bit at the halfway mark
15. Joy of Life

Chinese Drama - 2019, 46 episodes

8.5
- good balance of humour & seriousness, politics not overly complicated
- righteous ML. Though playful sometimes, he's still smart
- season 2 where are u
16. A Familiar Stranger

Chinese Drama - 2022, 18 episodes

8.5
- pretty good mini-drama, i liked the pacing (1 ep is only 10-15 mins)
- i'm sure there's plotholes but i didn't think too much of it, was a good lighter watch & the acting/visuals was better than expected
- love the relationship & trust between the leads
17. Sword Snow Stride

Chinese Drama - 2021, 38 episodes

7.5
- once again enjoyed zhang ruo yun's character -- clever, fun, multidimensional
- has a mix of humour/ comedy relief moments in it
- started strong BUT middle episodes onwards started to drag a lot :(
18. Lost You Forever

Chinese Drama - 2023, 39 episodes

8.0
- started watching this for the cinematography / actors (which was the best part of this drama i would say)
- i hate multiple love interest plots so skipped a lot of jing's scenes haha, but i would say each love interest were quite fleshed out
- i do wish there was more time spent in world building e.g. the scenes where chishui feng long is explaining the tribes / clans etc cuz i'm a bit confused about that part of the plot
- not as tragic as i expected (side eye for u, til the end of the moon)
19. Wuliang

Chinese Movie - 2020

8.5
- pretty solid acting from both leads, concise storyline with interesting twists
- wished it was a BIT longer though with more power/fight scenes
- happy ending
20. My Decoy Bride

Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

7.5
- strong/smart leads
- pretty good acting, videography, action scenes, for a minidrama
- politics wasn't too complicated
21. Zhang Gong Zhu Zai Shang

Chinese Drama - 2022, 27 episodes

8.0
- FL is both beauty & brains
- pretty decent acting, fight choreo, videography + nice costuming for a project that was meant for a platform like tiktok
- the skips between scenes are a bit fast though. obviously not for any big plots, the plot is the leads' relationship
- so it's a good quick lighter binge
22. Dong Lan Xue

Chinese Drama - 2023, 30 episodes

7.5
- once again, pretty good costumes/props/action scenes for a tiktok-esque platform
- leads' chemistry was better in ZGZZS
- plot was more intense than i expected
23. Story of Kunning Palace

Chinese Drama - 2023, 38 episodes

8.5
- 90% of plot is politics, but for some reason, i found this one really interesting. Balance of action scenes, pacing was done well, didn't focus too much on leads bickering back & forth (side eye @ Wonderland of Love)
- reminded me of Love like the Galaxy, but with even smarter / more mature leads
- also had Lost You Forever type of multiple love interests... BUT I REALLY LIKED ALL OF THEM HERE UGH
- I especially liked how this FL here picked herself up setback after setback, showing her strength through actions, rather than the Lost You Forever FL who mostly just spoke about her hardships but then became weak after not succeeding with Jing
24. What's Wrong with My Princess

Chinese Drama - 2023, 32 episodes

8.0
- acting was meh but the costumes/cinematography was good
- smart FL, wished we saw more of her fighting skills too though
- decently done enemies-to-lovers & short drama
25. The Romance of Tiger and Rose

Chinese Drama - 2020, 24 episodes

7.0
- FL was too playful & annoying -- her character arc took way too long. plot seemed to drag at first and then sped through so fast at last 8 episodes
- i'm usually not a fan of enemies-to-lovers (too many misunderstandings/conflict etc) but this was done decently
- only finished watching for eye candies (Ding Yu Xi) lol his mix of scheming & boyish charm is fresh
26. The Deliberations of Love

Chinese Drama - 2023, 24 episodes

8.0
- another decent short drama to pass time. FL wasn't too annoying
- definitely relationship focused rather than on big plots
27. The Legend of Shen Li

Chinese Drama - 2024, 39 episodes

8.5
- i usually avoid xianxia BUT here are the reasons why i still gave this a chance AND ENDED UP ENJOYING IT:
- there's a lean towards the mortal world like Lost You Forever, less ridiculous yapping amongst immature ancient deities
- SLOW BURN AHHH with strong, smart, mature characters !!!
- no angsty numerous lifetime arcs thank goodness
- no serious multiple love interests HAHA
- decent cgi, fight scenes
- happy ending!
28. Secrets of the Shadow Sect

Chinese Drama - 2024, 24 episodes

8.0
- surprisingly good acting! (not just by short drama standards -- these actors could be in those standard ones for sure)
- good quality fight scenes, costumes, sceneries etc too
- has the ZGZZS dynamic but the plot is a lil more complex
- satisfying binge
29. Thousands of Years of Love

Chinese Drama - 2024, 22 episodes

8.0
- bite-sized xianxia with the magic, diff lifetime plot (human realm) etc, but minimal angst with happy ending!
- although the plot did give me whiplash AHAHA, I appreciated the chemistry of the leads and their characters not being too annoying
- so overall it was a satisfying binge
30. Blossoms in Adversity

Chinese Drama - 2024, 40 episodes

8.5
- i prefer action/fantasy over just business/family type of historical dramas cuz the frustrations/conflicts are too close to home for me lol like i can do 'the world is collapsing' but can't do family bickering AHAHA
- but this was not bad, really liked the leads' communication
- also this cast is full of eye candies XD
31. Joy of Life Season 2

Chinese Drama - 2024, 36 episodes

8.0
- i do miss xiao zhan but hot take - Wu Xingjian did his character justice
- interesting, realistic, complex characters. enjoyed the imperial examination episodes the most
- of course was very happy to see Wu Zhu again ehe
- much more long term scheming, court politics type of plot. Excited for the action packed plot of season 3
- colour grading improved!