Hello!

I've been watching k & j dramas for over 10 years, and now I decided to give c-dramas a try. I have watched only The Untamed and loved it, but... I need something more serious and realistic at the moment.

So I am asking for recommendations for a historical Chinese drama that is realistic and very well played. I don't really like it when things are exaggerated or when there is too much fantasy, and I love a well-paced story. I'm also interested in something that can teach me about Chinese culture in any way.

I hope someone could help me get into the c-drama world <3

The best historical c-drama that you most probably would like can be:
The longest day in Chang'an
Nirvana in Fire.

But.... If you watched 10+ years k-j-dramas and never gave a try to c-dramas, will be quite hard to get into them. K-drama watchers tend to be very biased, almost selfish towards what they consider "serious", based on what they watched on k-drama land.

Thank you both for recommending! I will try these dramas.

@Alice Wang: To be honest, yes, it is a bit difficult at first to get into a new type of drama. I first started with j-dramas because I used to teach the Japanese language, and the transition from j-dramas to k-dramas was slow due to the cultural and linguistic barrier. But, I am now willing to learn about Chinese culture and dramas and I already know how slow the transition might be. These 3 countries have very different approaches when it comes to acting and telling a story, that is why I want to start up with the more realistic ones, and then I will be able to get into any genre.

Then your choice to watch The Untamed as your first c-drama was not a very good one. For who is accustomed with c-dramas at least a bit and has no biases, The Untamed might be the best drama ever made. In any case, one must have a minimum knowledge of what xianxia-wuxia works watching some light dramas, or some romcoms before trying on more deep dramas. Because honestly you are losing the most important parts on the historical ones by focusing too much on the CGI or the flying people etc that for a k-drama watcher might look ridiculous, instead of giving more importance to the plot, acting and so on.
Anyway now that you started, I would advise Longest Day in Chang'An if you want a pure history drama no romance involved and very thick-serious plot.
My 2 cents.

Nirvana in Fire +1

The Longest Day in Chang'an +1

Story of Yanxi Palace +1

The Rise of Phoenixes +1

Young Blood 

The Vigilantes in Masks

@Alice Wang

I see your point, and you're right. 

At the moment I am in search of a more serious and realistic drama, and since The Untamed opened my curiosity for c-dramas, I said why not try something different for a change. I usually go for what my mood demands, and sometimes I need fluff and cute, and other times I need real and heavy. Thank you for your insight. I will ask for advice in the future too if that is ok with you.


@DramaDrama: Thank you!

Sure, no problem. Feel free to ask anytime. :)

+1 Nirvana in Fire 

Nirvana in Fire 2  (these two are the epitome of clever plot, engaging characters, and no-nonsense drama)

+1 The Story of Ming Lan (maybe the more realistic you can get, every detail in this drama is exquisite! plus the most intelligent female character I've known!) 

Singing All Along (if you like war dramas & strong heroines this is a must!) 

Cuo Dian Yuan Yang (sassy female lead, more lighthearted than serious, but no fantasy elements & cute couple)

 Nadia77:

Legend of Lu Zhen 

Scarlet Heart it has the time travel bit but other than that, it's quite realistic

Story of Yanxi Palace 

The Empress of China 

The Princess Wei Young 

The Rise of Phoenixes 

The Story of Ming Lan 

Royal Nirvana ongoing

The Legend of Dugu 

The Legend of Hao Lan 

Ah, I agree with this list wholeheartedly.

@Estelll & @Momoi

Thank you both so much for the recommendations!  

If I'd started my cdrama experience with "The Story of Yanxi Palace", it would have set me up to be disappointed in cdramas from then on. It was that good. I re-watch select episodes from the series very commonly, when I'm bored or tired and just want something wonderful to watch.

I'm not biased against cdramas--I just think that most of them are not very good. (They're getting better, but a good cdrama like "Nirvana in Fire" or "Yanxi Palace" is the exception, not the rule.) Still, watching the ridiculous nonsense of a low budget Chinese romantic comedy can be a good break.

 Olive4213:

If I'd started my cdrama experience with "The Story of Yanxi Palace", it would have set me up to be disappointed in cdramas from then on. It was that good. I re-watch select episodes from the series very commonly, when I'm bored or tired and just want something wonderful to watch.

I'm not biased against cdramas--I just think that most of them are not very good. (They're getting better, but a good cdrama like "Nirvana in Fire" or "Yanxi Palace" is the exception, not the rule.) Still, watching the ridiculous nonsense of a low budget Chinese romantic comedy can be a good break.

I preferred Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace to Yanxi. Much more detailed, costumes are luxurious as the drama was high budget, the actors did a brilliant job, the schemes in the palace was much more intricate, the plot much more deep. I loved Yanxi as well but I felt that something was missing, a bit of substance and consistency of the characters, was a much lighter drama. If I would have to recommend to someone that wants "serious" historical dramas, Ruyi is the one to go for.

Scanning through these I didn't see a recommendation for 'the king' woman'. i had thought it had been fairly accurate and had actual historic figures and events. Was i wrong?

 Runta:

Scanning through these I didn't see a recommendation for 'the king' woman'. i had thought it had been fairly accurate and had actual historic figures and events. Was i wrong?

Although The King's Woman was a good drama, I wouldn't recommend it to someone that just starts with c-drama world. I personally was very pissed with this drama to be honest.