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I am looking to maybe start watching Cdrama "Classics". šŸ‘€ (Patreon)

Published:
2026-08-25 03:17:54
Edited:
2026-08-25 03:18:54
Imported:
2026-10

Content

Along with Coroner's Diary I am thinking of watching some of the Cdrama classics! I love watching all the more recent shows, but I would also love to check out and pay homage to the Cdramas that many call "legendary".

What would you consider a Cdrama Claissc? I've heard shows like Eternal Love, The Untamed, Story of Yanxi Palace, Story of Minglan, Nirvana in Fire, Ashes of Love, Go Ahead, etc. are in that category. What Cdama classics would you recommend, add to this list, or remove from this list?

Thanks everyone! :)

Comments

Sgafx

Man, you actually have very limited choices for this, because only very few have reached that height: Nirvana in Fire (2015), Empresses in the Palace, a.k.a. Legend of Zhen Huan (2010). There are some earlier options, but the production quality cannot match today, such as My Fair Princess (1998). You must listen to Chinese folks to give you recommendations because at that time CDrama was not popular worldwide. Also most of those classics were NOT romance, different from what people are used to watching today.

Vinzo.

is 2023 old enough? if so I would recommend "Only for love" where Bai Lu is the FL. Modern cdrama - chaebol (ML) and journalist (FL).

Andjela

Till the end of moon or love and redemption

ChanceReading

So I don't have many that are older then 2019. The only one would be Love 020 (2016) but it in my opinion shows it's age. But it was one of the first ones I watched. If we are going 2019: Arsenal Military Academy, Put your head on my shoulder, Go Go Squid, Wait my Youth, A little thing called first love. Some might be more beloved then others.

Pretty Doll

Definitely Go Go Squid and The Four 2015. The Four was really really a good one. I loved so much and still think it was Zhang Han best lead role till to date.

Irena Kukule

I have only seen two dramas that are older than 2022, and those are Moonlight (2021) with DYX and Esther Yu, and Meteor Garden (2018) with Dylan Wang, but I wouldn't count either of those as "classics". But if you're looking for something more like a highly rated and memorable show from the late 2010s, maybe The Untamed (2019) could work or Joy of Life (2019)? I haven't seen either of those, but they are titles I am considering watching myself. The Untamed is similar to Word of Honor, and seeing as you rated that 9.1, you might like this one too.

BANNO

If you do not mind me asking are you Chinese? Reason why I am asking because I actually want to check out some of these legendary Cdramas. Whether there is romance or not does not matter to me as much. Other shows that I mentioned like Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms (Eternal Love), Story of Yanxi Palace, or Love 020, etc are not to the heights of Nirvana on Fire? Genuinely just want to know because you always hear a bunch of dramas called Classics/legendary but I want to know what Cdramas are actually that level haha

BANNO

Definitely on my list as of right now! :)

Sgafx

Yes, buddy, hello from China. For these few, their ranking is very clear in terms of popularity: Nirvana in Fire >> Eternal Love > Yan Xi Palace >> Love 020. Love 020 was purely an idol drama mostly popular with the fans of ML&FL.

BANNO

It is not necessarily the age of the drama more like the cultural impact and how it is looked at in the grand scheme of things, but Only For Love is one I have had on my radar for a while now!! :)

BANNO

Ahhh okay! That is some of the information I have been looking for! Sorry if to keep spamming shows but what where would other shows like Ashes to Love, Story of Minglan, and The Untamed fit? What about more recent popular shows like Love and Redemption, Till the End of the Moon, etc. or are these shows considered not close to the others we have mentioned? Finally, if you add Empress in the Palace to it would that be before Eternal Love? Sorry again for all the questions haha it is just hard to find good info on all these things, but I think people from China would understand it more than most!

Sgafx

to add on my previous answer, in terms of long-term influence, no other show can match Empresses in the Palace. It was indeed a cultural icon. People are obsessed with creating derivative works based on this show, even until today. However it has higher cultural barrier for foreign audiences, because of so many cultural elements and literary scripts. I strongly recommend you, as a hardcore CDrama enthusiast, to react on this one.

Mimi

If youā€™re open to non-romance categories, Iā€™d agree with Nirvana in Fire, The Story of Minglan, Empresses in the Palace (Legend of Zhen Huan), and Joy of Life (2019). Among theseā€”including the ones you mentionedā€”Iā€™d say Story of Yanxi Palace is probably the fastest-paced and feels the closest to more recent dramas. The others are much more character-driven, which also explains their longer episode counts and slower buildup. These are truly legendary dramas in Chinaā€”the kind of shows that a huge number of people have either watched or at least heard of, across different age groups and well beyond just romance-drama viewers. And please allow me to add a couple of my personal romance classics as well: Nothing But You (2023) and Will Love in Spring (2024). I do think romance dramasā€”especially modern onesā€”can sometimes show their age more noticeably, whether itā€™s the production style, pacing, or the way relationships are portrayed. But I consider these two exceptions. They still feel fresh and natural, are very character-driven, and of course, the stories themselves are quite refreshing and unique.

Sgafx

Well, those three (SOM/ATL/Untamed) are also quite popular in China. Story of Minglan is very good, indeed, but not as influential as Nirvana in Fire and Empresses in the Palace. The other two are typical idol dramas. Untamed was the first iconic idol drama based on a BL novel, but itā€™s not as good as Word of Honor. Those more recent dramas you listed are not actually very popular, because there are too many similar ones, mostly period idol dramas catered for traffic stars. I would personally add Empresses in the Palace for you before Eternal Love, because Eternal Love is basically the same genre as many other ones you have watched. My only concern is that it may be a bit challenging for your subscribers considering the cultural barrier and their unfamiliarity with it.

nuaTN

I wouldn't consider anything after 2020 a classic. To me, 2020 was the turning point when idol actors really started taking over dramas and changed the industry (for worse imo). The Knockout (2023) is probably the only after-2020 drama Iā€™d put on the same level of influence as the major classics from before 2020. It's only popular in China sadly. Some of the more ā€œrecentā€ classics imo are: - Story of Minglan (2018): A slow-burn historical family drama. Not your typical romance drama to be honest, but incredibly good. - Empresses In the Palace (2011): Basically the blueprint for modern palace dramas. Just legendary. - Joy Of Life (2019): A rare mix of politics, comedy, mystery, and wuxia. - Story of Yanxi Palace (2018): It was just massive. It played a huge role in bringing palace dramas back into the mainstream. - Eternal Love (2017): Xianxia romances. Most popular in the genre. - Nirvana in Fire (2015): THE STANDARD for historical dramas. - Scarlet Heart (2011): Yes, the korean version is the remake to this. Some older classics that might be hard to find where to watch. - Ming Dynasty (2007) - Three Kingdoms (2010) - My Fair Princess (1998) - Schemes of a Beauty (2010)

Germaine Quek

Hands down The Untamed (it is what opened the chinese drama market to the wider audience and popularised this new batch of shows)

Sharon Mahon

For me I would recommend The Untamed, Eternal Love 10 Miles of Peach Blossom, Story of Yanxi Palace and Ashes of Love. Newer but really epic is Till the End of the Moon šŸŒ™

Sgafx

I kinda want him to react on Jin Yongā€™s wuxia dramas such as the Condor Trioligy. Must be fun.

BANNO

I think those first 4 are on my very short list at the moment! :)

BANNO

Joy of Life and Untamed are definitely on that short list! I love all the dramas from recent years but I want to check out those older ones as well to get a fuller picture of the cdrama landscape plus hearing how fantastic they are has me interested too haha

BANNO

100% this first couple are definitely on my radar! I am looking forward to watching these Cdrama classics!

BANNO

Definitely on my short list as you stated it perfectly it was the show that started the international push!

nuaTN

Agreed. And you really canā€™t talk about classics in China without mentioning the adaptations of the Four Great Classical Novels. I donā€™t think anything on the list above comes close to the cultural influence these stories have in China. - Journey to the West (1986) - Dream of the Red Chamber (1987) - Romance of the Three Kingdoms (1994) - Water Margin (1998) These are about as ā€œclassicā€ as C-drama can get. Impossible to find English subtitle though.

Sgafx

As you mentioned earlier, Three Kingdoms (2010) is probably more acceptable to him. I personally think it has higher production quality than the 1994 version. Also, I think it might be the easiest one for him to kick off a 4-ancient-masterpieces journey.

Sgafx

As I have mentioned in another comment, let me introduce something only Chinese people can recommend. Jin Yong's wuxia novels. Everything you see about wuxia on screen today originated from Jin Yong's novels. He published 15 novels from the 1950s to the 1970s. Almost every one of his novels is embedded with profound, rich Chinese culture and history. I read almost all of his novels as a teenager. There are many versions of TV adaptations of his novels. You can start with his Condor Triology, probably best known amongst all his works. 1. The Legend of the Condor Heroes ļ¼ˆ2017ļ¼‰ 2. The Return of the Condor Heroes ļ¼ˆ2006ļ¼‰ 3. The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber ļ¼ˆ2019ļ¼‰ These 3 are the most recent ones with acceptable quality. I watched them all and think you will be interested. These dramas are closely related to real Chinese history, so you will learn a lot by watching them.