MANDARIN CHINESE DRAMA RECOMMENDATIONS
We had recommended Cantonese dramas and movies. Now it is only fair that we make another list of recommendations for Mandarin dramas and movies. We will start with dramas. Here are 6 of my favorites covering a range of genres including family, mystery, crime, and romance.
以家人之名 Go Ahead (yǐ jiā rén zhī míng ; 2020)
Released in the late summer of 2020, this drama was definitely good meal-time entertainment. It revolves around the life of three childhood friends. Their relationship starts off simple and familial. It evolves as they get older. Their respective family problems interrupt their peaceful lives, separating the three that vowed to be together for life. Distance dilutes their once close friendship. Long conversations eventually became short greetings during major holidays. The three meet again several years later with two trying to mend their relationship and one having gotten used to life without the others. Romance comes into play and their relationship is once again at risk. It is a drama filled with tears, laughter, romance, and familial love. For those looking for a heartwarming, healing, and comedic series to watch, this one is a good one to check out.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=以家人之名
你是我的荣耀 You Are My Glory (nǐ shì wǒ de róng yào ; 2021)
A heartwarming love story for those who like romance, comedy, and gaming. Our two protagonists, a female celebrity and a Chinese astronomy researcher, reunite years after their high school graduation through a popular online game. After a string of cute interactions and subtle hints, our female protagonist finally confesses again. (You’ll know why I say “again” if you watch it.) She didn’t get the response she was hoping for, but that is obviously not how it ends. This series is one that inspires and encourages you to chase your dreams. It shows that there will always be someone out there that is willing to support you. On top of everything, it is a lovely story with gorgeous actors and actresses. What’s the harm in checking it out?
Link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=你是我的荣耀
开端 Reset (kāi duān ; 2022)
I have to say this is definitely one of the Top 3 of my all time favorite Chinese dramas. It gets you sweating with the suspense and shocks you with each turn of events. The story revolves around college student Li Shiqing, game developer Xiao Heyun, and the bus they are on. The bus is destined to explode. The two get pulled into a mysterious phenomenon where they will rewind back to before the explosion after it happens again and again. Each time they will find clues and try different tactics to get closer and closer to the truth. It is a little repetitive in the beginning. But once you get past the inevitable replay of the events, you will not be able to walk away without knowing how it ends. It has 15 episodes in total, so it is not a long watch. (At least I finished it within two days)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=开端
星汉灿烂 Love Like the Galaxy (xīng hàn càn làn ; 2022)
This one was a crowd favorite when released in 2022. Based on a well known Chinese novel, the series got great praise for accurately bringing some of the readers’ favorite scenes to life. The story begins with the meeting of a young cold vengeful general and a smart mischievous girl. The girl, neglected by her family, grew up without being taught the proper manners and knowledge. She became the subject of ridicule and was even given the cold shoulder by her mother. Throughout the story both characters will face their own problems and grow together. It is quite an emotional rollercoaster since their romance story is definitely not a smooth ride. (I recommend snacks and tissues, just in case.)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=星汉灿烂
梦华录 A Dream of Splendor (mèng huá lù ; 2022)
For the ladies out there, this is a motivating series. The whole series features three main females: tea expert Zhao Pan er, housewife/dessert chef Sun San Niang, and famous Chinese lute player Song Ying Zhang. Each of them experiences different kinds of betrayal by the man they love. The three head out for the big city in search of a new start. They combined all the money they had on them and opened a tea house. After facing threats by competitors, rejections from customers, and caste discrimination they successfully established their tea house as a go-to place for locals and travelers. Aside from their fruitful career, they all respectively found their Mr. Right. It is truly interesting to see them using their wit, intelligence, and courage to fight the challenges that were deemed impossible by bystanders. It is a series full of lessons we can learn from ourselves.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=梦华录
如果蜗牛有爱情 When A Snail Falls In Love (rú guǒ wō niú yǒu ài qíng ;2016)
Last but not least, we will end with this underrated drama starring Wang Kai and Wang Ziwen. They respectively play an experienced detective team leader and an observant criminal psychologist. Joining Wang Kai’s team was a challenge for the physically weak Wang Ziwen. But she proved her worth through her psychology skills, keen observations, and the accurate predictions of the criminal’s next steps. The pair works together to solve different cases of kidnapping, murder, and human trafficking. Eventually Wang Kai falls in love with Wang Ziwen, but the psychologist is super slow in regards to romantic affection. It is an unusual, mature, exciting, and adorable love story. But the romance is just the cherry on top of the exhilarating cases and action scenes. I’ll just end this with an all caps . . . MUST WATCH!
It is so much more comfortable if you can understand your favorite foreign entertainment without having to read subtitles. If you want to enjoy the above dramas more comfortably, check out the numerous resources we have to learn some basic Chinese. Trust me, you will see a difference. But in the meantime, you can also enjoy it with subtitles. We recommend google chrome’s language reactor extension for a Chinese subtitle generator. You can check out our video which shows how to install and utilize it.
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