Every year we watch a lot of Chinese dramas with exciting plots and characters. No matter how many dramas you watch, there will always be a drama that tops them all. Today I want to name my 10 greatest Chinese dramas of all time. These dramas are on the list based on my personal view, the ratings, indexes and other tools to measure their success doesn’t influence my choice. I’m only naming dramas that I’ve watched and the list can change soon.

10 greatest Chinese dramas of all time

1. Eternal love ( Ten miles to peach blossom)

The Nine-tailed Fox Bai Qian, the youngest daughter of the Fox King, is brought to Kunlun Mountain to become a disciple of the God of War, Mo Yuan. While studying there, a war breaks out that leads to Mo Yuan sacrificing his life to seal a demon lord.

Seventy thousand years later, Bai Qian attempts to also sacrifice herself to re-seal the demon lord but is instead thrown to the mortal realm where she loses all her memories and divine power. Living alone on a remote mountain, Bai Qian saves Crown Prince Ye Hua of the Nine Heavens, who is actually her fiancé in Heaven and greatly resembles the late Mo Yuan. The two start falling in love, not knowing the true identity of the other person, and their love tribulation involves them meeting in three different lives and three worlds.

Personal Opinion

I remember watching this drama instead of studying for exams but luckily I passed. This is the first Chinese drama that I ever watched from the beginning till the end. I immediately fell in love with Chinese dramas after watching it. It had lots of stories to tell with a large cast but they managed to fit all of them in one drama. I don’t think I will ever watch another drama that is better than this one.

2. Princess Agents

The story takes place during the chaotic times of Wei, where innocent citizens are often kidnapped and turned into slaves. Slave girl, Chu Qiao was thrown into a forest along with other slaves and becomes the next hunting target for the rich lords. She is saved by the Prince of Yanbei, Yan Xun. Afterward, she is brought into a powerful family of Yu Wen and witnesses their bloody power struggle. Seeing this, she swears to take her younger sister and flee from the situation. However, she catches the attention of Yu Wen Yue and undergoes strict training while building a sense of companionship with Yan Xun. Drama focuses on Chu Qiao’s life beliefs and her struggle to survive in a cruel and unfair world.

Personal Opinion

I’m just disappointed by the fact that we won’t get another season of Princess Agents. I believe you will all agree with me when I say Princess Agents is in everyone’s top 5, but only if you once watched it. One thing that makes it special is the story, not the cast. Most of the cast were still working on their careers so their presence didn’t have that impact until they showed their acting skills.

3. Ashes of love

Four thousand years ago, when Jin Mi was born, her fate was already sealed. She is to be a prisoner in Shui Jing. Mi’s mother Zi Fen, a flower deity, abandons her for the afterlife. Near death, Fen feeds her infant daughter the ‘unfeeling pill’ and orders her subordinates to keep her identity a secret from Mi.

Four thousand years later, Xu Feng, the second son of the Heavenly King and fire deity, is caught in an enemy trap, leading him to Shui Jing, where Mi comes to his rescue. Over the following century, these fated souls find comfort in one another.

Personal Opinion

I loved the costumes, story and the effects. Although there was a love triangle plot, it was well executed and had a huge impact on the main storyline. This drama was more like Eternal love (TMTPB), in terms of multiple storylines. I automatically became a fan of Deng Lun after watching this drama, unfortunately, he’s canceled.

4. Legend of Fuyao

Meng Fuyao becomes a disciple of the Xuanyuan Sword Sect as a child, though she is despised for her lack of talent in the art of cultivation. Fuyao masters a powerful set of martial arts skills by chance, and embarks on a journey to collect the secret talismans of the five kingdoms, which will later enable her to enter the sacred land known only as the Firmament. She is joined by several admirers, and together they help pacify all the political and military uprisings in the smaller kingdoms, and defeat the evil being guarding the Firmament.

Personal Opinion

I watched Legend of Fuyao after watching Eternal Love because of Yang Mi. At first, it was a bit difficult to understand the story for a beginner but it got more clearer. Despite it having 60 episodes, it felt like a short mini drama

5. Joy of Life

Fan Xian is born in the ancient empire of Southern Qing with memories of the 21st century. He lives in a rural town as the illegitimate son of the Minister of Finance, raised by his grandmother. His mother, Ye Qingmei was once a celebrated inventor and the founder of the Overwatch Department, the country’s spy network but was killed shortly after her son was born. Fan Xian has since been protected by a blind martial arts expert, Wu Zhu, his mother’s bodyguard. He learns martial arts and the art of poison as a child, also assisted by his knowledge from the 21st century.

After an assassination attempt, he decides to venture into the capital to find out more about his mysterious mother and why anyone would want to kill him, as he perceives himself to be an unimportant person. He also wants to know why he has memories of a sharply different era. In the capital, he accidentally meets Lin Wan’er, the sickly illegitimate daughter of the Princess Royal and falls in love with her. Unbeknownst to him, she is the woman the emperor chose for him to marry so that he would be the new overseer of the Royal Treasury, an institute Fan Xian’s mother established in the palace and currently handled by the Princess Royal.

In the capital, however, he gets entangled in the intrigues of the Emperor and the two Princes, as well as the Overwatch Department, leading to him questioning his whole identity and inducing him to find his true life goals, abandoning his original intention to just “enjoy life”.

Personal Opinion

I wrote a review on this drama and Joy Of Life Season 2, make sure you read them.

6. The Legends

While attempting to take her predecessor’s Wanjun Sword, Lu Zhao Yao is ambushed by the ten immortal sects and dies. She mistakenly believes Li Chen Lan, who is her best ally, is related to the incident after he is revealed to be the demon king’s son.

Five years later, Li Chen Lan has taken over the position of the Wanlu sect leader, and Zhao Yao decides to exact revenge. She who is now a spirit,  possesses the body of Qin Zhi Yan, a female disciple of the Immortal Sect, and with the help of the newly gained body, she becomes the direct disciple of Mo Qing aka  Li Chen Lan with the aim of killing him. But things don’t go as she planned, when she slowly starts to fall in love with him instead.

Meanwhile Jiang Wu, an ambitious youth, wants to kill Li Chen Lan and become the sect leader. He is interested in Zhi Yan. What will happen when their lives are intervened? Will Zhao Yao be able to regain her body back and become the sect leader again? What is the fate of Qin Zhi Yan, whose body Zhao Yao possessed?

Personal Opinion

Bai Lu and Xu Kai huh? Such an amazing onscreen couple. I remember 2018/19 was the year for KaiLu fans with Arsenal Military Academy and The Legends airing. I honestly watched The Legend after watching Arsenal Military Academy and had no expectations but I loved it ever since. I found the story interesting and unique with Zhao Yao resurrecting and being invisible. The chemistry between Zhao Yao and Mo Qin was SUPER!

7. The Double

This drama tells the story of Xue Fangfei, the daughter of a well-off county magistrate who lost everything after a major upheaval. Saved by Jiang Li, the daughter of the Secretariat Director, she took on the identity of Jiang Li and returned to the capital. With the help of Duke Xiao Heng and others, she overcame numerous hardships, tirelessly fought against injustice, rescued her father who had been wrongly imprisoned, assisted Xiao Heng in upholding justice, protecting the common people, and ultimately regained a beautiful life.

Personal Opinion

I have to put The Double on this list. This drama unexpectedly became the best drama in 2024, and even Youku started pushing it as a mega project when it started breaking records. Wu Jinyan was so good at playing both Jiang Li and Xue Fangfei. The story was one of the best stories I have come across since I started watching Cdramas in 2018. No debate here, The Double is 2024’s best drama. I have a full review here.

8. Go Ahead

Ling Xiao, He Zi Qiu and Li Jian Jian treat each other as siblings while suffering from dysfunctional families. They go their separate ways after finishing high school but reunite amidst old wounds.

Personal Opinion

I’m also surprised that there’s a modern drama on the list. Go Ahead is something beyond being “just a drama”. It’s life, it represents the struggle we as people are facing behind closed doors. It’s more than a drama about the friendship of three children, it’s also about siblings growing together. Blood or not, it doesn’t matter. What counts is the love, loyalty, and respect between them. Read my full review here.

9. Rattan

Many years ago, the plant-alien hybrid Si Teng was hunted down by a Xuanmen hunter. Chased across Shanghai, Si Teng fled for her life but escaping the relentless hunter proved impossible. In an act of cruel piety, the hunter killed Si Teng and buried her remains at the base of a great cliff.

There she would have remained for all eternity, had fate not chosen to intervene. Resurrected by the unwitting actions of a young architect by the name of Qin Fang, Si Teng finds herself in a strange new world. Confused by the fragmented memories in her head, Si Teng insists Qin Fang help her regain her memories, while at the same time helping her understand life in this modern age.

Despite their rocky start, Qin Fang eventually agrees to Si Teng’s demands. With Qin Fang by her side, Si Teng learns what it means to live and love but the fragmented memories of her past continue to torment her. Determined to understand the mysteries of her past, Si Teng and Qin Fang continue to search for answers, their quest drawing them ever closer. But how long will their happiness last when the demon of the past refuses to die?

Personal Opinion

Despite it being a low budget project, Rattan was one of the best Chinese dramas I’ve ever watched. It had an incredible story with the Alien stuff. I did make an impulsive judgment after I watched it for the first time but I began to discover some interesting stuff as I watched it multiple times.

Conclusion.