Last updated on July 24th, 2026 at 10:28 am
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Update – this was first posted in 2022 and has now been updated in 2025
When there are hundreds of Chinese historical dramas out there, how do you know which ones are worth watching?
This blog post will tell you the 10 BEST Chinese historical dramas to focus on, including Xianxia, Wuxia, and palace dramas.
(Note: these dramas are also not in a particular order or ranking.)
Let’s get started!
Chinese Historical Dramas to Watch #1 – Eternal Love (2017)
When it comes to the best Chinese historical dramas to watch, you can’t miss out on Three Lives Three Worlds, Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms, also called Eternal Love.
It is one of the most well-known Chinese dramas.
Eternal Love is a love story spanning three lives across three worlds.
The first life is between Bai Qian, a highly respected goddess of the Fox clan, and Mo Yuan, the God of War. To be accepted as Mo Yuan’s disciple, Bai Qian pretends to be a male, Si Yin.
The second life begins when Bai Qian is sent to the mortal realm. She is now a human named Su Su. These episodes focus on her love relationship with Ye Hua, the crown prince of the heavenly realm.
The third life is Bai Qian with Ye Hua. She forgets her life as Su Su while he discovers her true identity and tries to regain his lost love.
This sounds like a complicated storyline, but it’s easy to follow once you watch the drama.
The main female lead, Yang Mi, delivers excellent performances as she portrays three very different characters: Si Yin, Bai Qian, and Su Su. Then, the lead actor, Mark Chao, wowed the audience with his acting despite initial doubts.
The secondary couple, Bai Feng Jiu and Dong Hua Di Jun, is also worth mentioning. They became unexpected fan favourites and have a spin-off drama about their love story, Eternal Love of Dream.
Eternal Love received critical acclaim and sky-high ratings. Everything in this drama became iconic, including the soundtrack, and 凉凉 became one of the most recognizable Chinese songs of all time.
2) Nirvana in Fire (2015)
In this show, Hu Ge plays Lin Shu, a survivor of his family massacre. He completely changes his appearance and renames himself, Mei Chang Su.
Hu Ge has starred in many successful dramas, including Chinese Paladin, The Little Fairy, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, Chinese Paladin 3, and Sound of the Desert.
Nirvana in Fire was the perfect segue for Hu Ge to move on to serious dramas. Before this, his focus was idol dramas. Nothing is wrong with that—some of the best historical Chinese dramas are idol dramas, but the prestige is different.
Look up this revenge wuxia drama online, and you’ll see people raving about Nirvana in Fire left and right. The characters are well-written, the actors give incredible performances, and the production quality is excellent.
The only thing is that the plot starts a bit slowly, so be patient and don’t give up.
3) Ashes of Love (2018)
Ashes of Love is about the flower deity’s daughter, Jin Mi. Her dying mom foresaw her going through a love trial and fed her a pill when she was born to prevent her from feeling any romantic love. This causes a problem when she meets Xu Feng, the second prince of the heavenly realm.
Yang Zi, the actress who played Jin Mi, had a challenging role. At first, she was dense and ignorant, but she eventually became absolutely heartbroken and determined.
She has massive character development, and Yang Zi won hearts with her acting. Meanwhile, Deng Lun, who played Xu Feng, gained millions of fans due to his softness toward Jin Mi.
The supporting second male lead, Luo Yun Xi, also stood out for his portrayal of Run Yu. He went from being kind and gentle to vengeful. This role elevated his status: he went from mainly being a supporting character to a male lead in Chinese dramas after Ashes of Love.
In this romance xianxia drama, you can expect many heart-wrenching moments. You will cry with the characters, but you will also laugh with them in the light-hearted moments.
4) Story of Yanxi Palace (2018)
Story of Yanxi Palace is another massive hit in 2018.
It’s about a young girl, Wei Ying Luo, who enters the palace walls to discover the truth about her sister’s death. She works her way up the harem and becomes one of the Emperor’s concubines.
Although this synopsis doesn’t sound the most original, the cast brought the storyline and characters to life.
Wu Jin Yan excels in the strategic character type and proved herself again in the drama, The Double, a few years later.
When this show aired, it was everywhere. It was one of the year’s biggest shows, proving that China excels in palace dramas.
There’s even a mini-sequel on Netflix called Yanxi Palace: Princess Adventures, in which Wu Jin Yan and Nie Yuan appear!
5) The Journey of Flower (2015)
The story revolves around Hua Qian Gu and Bai Zi Hua. Hu Qian Gu goes to Chang Liu and becomes Bai Zi Hua’s only disciple.
It’s a forbidden love story between a master and a disciple.
The casting team had to choose an actress with a face who could play a sweet girl, Hu Qian Gu, and the devil God.
Zhao Li Ying is the perfect Hu Qian Gu. Her baby face allowed her to play her character convincingly, and she didn’t cringe when acting cute, a trait not everyone can pull off.
She also had the aura to become a devil God. Pulling off both characters was tough, but she did it easily. Her transformation is easily one of the drama’s highlights.
Although Li Ying had some success with previous dramas, The Journey of Flower helped her achieve nationwide fame. This drama established her as one of the top actresses in the Chinese entertainment industry.
Then, our male lead, Bai Zi Hua, played by Wallace Huo.
Li Ying got most of the attention in The Journey of Flower, but the drama wouldn’t nearly be as good if Wallace Huo weren’t chosen as Bai Zi Hua, a revered immortal who doesn’t show many emotions. He’s a righteous guy who prioritizes his duty to the world.
Wallace admitted that this character was challenging to play because his emotions had to be expressed through his microexpressions. His worries must have motivated him to study the character well, as he was great as Bai Zi Hua!
One thing to note about The Journey of Flower is that, although it’s a romance drama, it might feel different from the other romantic historical dramas on the list. It’s not the typical show with obvious lovey-dovey scenes.
6) Chinese Historical Dramas to Watch – Love and Redemption (2020)
Love and Redemption is about Chu Xuan Ji’s journey to find her six senses, as she was born without them. She meets the masked Yu Si Feng, a skilled martial arts prodigy in his sect, Li Ze Palace, who cannot fall in love.
The drama takes the premise of three popular Chinese dramas (Ashes of Love, Eternal Love, and The Journey of Flower) and puts its own spin on it.
Xuan Ji might remind you of Jinmi from Ashes of Love, especially in the beginning. They are both ignorant and clueless.
Like Journey of the Flower, both female lead characters transform from soft and sweet to strong heroines.
Love and Redemption’s story also spans several lifetimes, as in Eternal Love.
This show was a turning point for both leads, Cheng Yi and Yuan Bing Yan, in their acting careers. Both were relatively unknown before Love and Redemption.
Cheng Yi was born to play Si Feng with all that blood spitting and loving Xuan Ji through ten lifetimes. He is also a talented actor who can captivate the audience. The way he acts with his eyes is phenomenal.
Yuan Bing Yan was weaker in terms of acting ability because Cheng Yi shone too brightly. Though the casting team could have chosen a stronger lead actress, this drama wouldn’t have been half as successful without the undeniable chemistry between the two of them.
7) Empresses in the Palace (2012)
The competition for the top 10 best Chinese historical dramas was fierce. Do you know how many Chinese dramas there are?
I have to pick 10 out of hundreds.
So, each drama deserves a spot on this list. Even though Empresses in the Palace is the oldest drama on the list, there is a reason why it made it.
Empresses in the Palace is about a young girl named Zhen Huan who enters and joins the imperial harem.
I’m not even exaggerating when I say this drama blew up. It’s been over a decade, and people STILL talk about this being one of the best Chinese dramas ever.
It won numerous accolades, deservingly so.
This classic show launched the careers of multiple actors, including Ada Choi, Jiang Xin, and Sun Li. These few actresses will forever be known for their character and involvement in this project. Since this isn’t an idol drama, the actors aren’t as focused on looking pretty while acting.
Don’t let the fact that this drama has 74 episodes deter you from enjoying this fantastic production.
8) Chinese Historical Dramas to Watch – Mysterious Case Lotusbook
Cheng Yi strikes again with another historical drama called Mysterious Lotus Casebook.
After a colossal battle, Li Xiang Yi leaves everything behind and starts over as a doctor named Li Lian Hua. He, Fang Duo Bing, and Di Fei Sheng join forces to solve mysterious cases.
Cheng Yi’s face fits the historical dramas perfectly. His sword movements are also beautifully executed, so it’s easy to see why he keeps getting roles in this genre.
Most of the Chinese dramas I watch are romance-related because they’re my type of show. When I watched this, I didn’t think I would like it as much as I did.
I’m so glad I gave this a chance because I became hooked on the writing, the characters, and the trio dynamic between Li Lian Hua, Fang Duo Bing, and Di Fei Sheng. Each character brought something to the group, and they felt like a real chosen family on screen.
The whole drama revolved around the theme of brotherhood (but not the romantic kind, since sometimes dramas try to sneak in a little BL (boys’ love), even though this is now banned in China).
This drama might not be as popular as the others on the list because non-romance Chinese dramas do better domestically than internationally.
Even if romance is usually what you watch, give this wuxia drama a shot.
9) Love Between Fairy and Devil
Love Between Fairy and Devil is a xianxia Chinese drama about a devil and a fairy falling in love.
The male lead, Dong Fang Qing Cang, has been locked up for thousands of years but was accidentally released by the female lead, Xiao Lan Hua.
The two are opposites in every way. They belong in opposing realms; she’s a lowly fairy, and he’s the ruler of the demon world; she cries at the drop of a hat, and he doesn’t have any emotions.
Despite that, she slowly melts his heart, and they become the cutest couple.
The lead actors in this drama, Esther Yu and Dylan Wang, have one of the strongest shipping fandoms in China. Even people in the Chinese entertainment industry are rooting for them to be together in real life.
Dylan Wang blew everyone’s expectations out of the water when he showed immense improvement in his acting with this project.
On the other hand, Esther Yu also made a terrific Xiao Lan Hua. She embodies the character and is well-known for her cutesy voice.
Love Between Fairy and Devil is one of my favourite Chinese dramas of all time. It’s a must-watch for anyone who likes Chinese shows.
10) Joy of Life (2019)
Fan Xian sets out to learn more about his mom and dad’s identities. He is swept up in palace politics and uses his knowledge of the 21st century, poisons, and martial arts to survive there.
This drama balanced comedic moments with its seriousness. With its twists and turns and a relatable hero, Joy of Life became one of the most-watched shows in 2019.
Joy of Life will feature celebrities you recognize, such as Zhang Ruo Yun, Li Qin, Guo Qi Lin, Song Yi, and Xiao Zhan. (After the success of the drama The Untamed, the Joy of Life team used Xiao Zhan’s name for marketing purposes. He is a minor character in Joy of Life, but it worked because it attracted more eyeballs.
Many TV shows can deteriorate in quality after the first season, but the second season (though 5 years is a long time to wait) was praised just as much as the first. Fans of the show can sigh with relief.
There is a third season with an unknown release date, so we can only hope the team behind this series can keep the momentum going and end on a high note.
Final Thoughts – Chinese Historical Dramas to Watch
Chinese historical dramas are making a name for themselves worldwide.
China isn’t playing around when it comes to its dramas. You can tell the Chinese entertainment industry invests time and money in its shows.
Their efforts are paying off, too.
Chinese historical dramas continue to grow globally, and their quality improves each year.
More people need to be introduced to the world of c-dramas because they’re totally missing out.
Once you jump into that rabbit hole, there’s no turning back. They are too entertaining and addictive.
There’s just something about Chinese historical dramas that captures your attention with the mix of dialogue, costumes, and elaborate production sets. I am confident that the Chinese entertainment industry will continue to produce stunning and captivating historical dramas (and modern ones).
Now to You – Chinese Historical Dramas to Watch
Which drama(s) are you most interested in? Let me know in the comments down below!
Xoxo,
Nicole
