There is nothing more enchanting than threads of magic weaving into reality. Magical realism is a genre where the contemporary world opens into an alternative universe that blurs the line between reality and the imaginative. Chinese Dramas are renowned for their execution of the fantasy genre, primarily through Wuxia and Xianxia. However, while those genres call for ancient backgrounds and costumes, modern fantasy occurs in the present. Thus, they have also mastered the unique blend of fiction in the current world. Mysterious forces, twists on mythology, the supernatural and the paranormal— all possible within the realm of magical realism. If the genre interests you, look no further, for here are ten Chinese dramas with magical realism incorporated in them most intriguingly.
1. Some Day Or One Day
When it comes to magical realism, time travel dramas are genuinely the show stealers. One such drama is Some Day or One Day. It is the story of a devastated girl who lost her boyfriend to an accident. Sometime after his presumed death, she received a parcel containing a tape which takes her back to her high school days. The twist is she goes back but in someone else's body.
2. Shining For One Thing
Shining for One Thing is a story about cherishing the youth and the present. It anticipates an unpredictable tomorrow while protecting what you have today. The story is of a woman in her late twenties named Lin Beixing. After her fiance breaks off their marriage, she goes into a nostalgic dive and accidentally deletes a text message from her old phone. This causes her to enter into a time loop which keeps bringing her in contact with a classmate she had never been friends with, Zhang Wansen.
3. My Amazing Boyfriend
This 2016 drama starring Janice Wu and Kim Tae Hwan is a classic romantic comedy with a supernatural touch. The story follows the relationship between a man who has been asleep for centuries and an actress who faces a fatal car accident. On being awakened, the man forces himself into the actress' house, and this starts a series of shenanigans and push and pull, eventually bringing them together.
4. My Girlfriend Is An Alien
My Girlfriend is an Alien is one of the most famous Chinese Dramas and has a second season. As the title specifies, the story is about an Alien who accidentally gets stranded on Earth. He encounters a man who is unable to remember the women around him. As the alien is forced to work under him, an unlikely love story forms between them. The story is funny, intriguing and even emotional.
5. Love Knot: His Excellency's First Love
Starring Johnny Huang and Victoria Song, Love Knot is a romantic comedy between a human being and a supernatural creature. Guan Pipi is a reporter in the modern world, but she bears an ancient curse which brings her a lot of sadness and misfortune. On the other hand, we have The Jade Master— a man who is a deity from a different realm. As the two meet, the deity decides that he will make her fall in love again despite her curse. However, along the way, he falls in love with her.
6. Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams is a drama starring Dilraba Dilmurat as Ling Lingqi and Deng Lun as Bo Hai. The story is about a relationship that blossoms between two colleagues. They participate in a dream technology experiment, which allows Ling Lingqi to enter Bo Hai's dreams while having a crush on him. In the real world, she is too feeble to confess. However, after the experiment, they also start growing closer in real life. They help each other overcome their difficulties as they slowly develop their relationship.
7. Fairyland Lovers
Fairyland Lovers is for you if you like doomed romances that root back from thousands of years. It is a story about a Spirit Healer— a man who frees human spirits from worldly desires which create resentment. When he is forced into a cohabitation agreement with Lin Xia, he recognises her face as someone from his past. This leads to unlocking secrets and memories that have been contained within their destinies for thousands of years earlier.
8. Night Of Love With You
Stories about manga characters coming to life are always fascinating to watch. One such story is that of Night of Love With You. It takes a well-known female character who has been an antagonist in various mangas for years and suddenly finds herself in a strange and disarranged story. Shockingly, her role in the story is that of the main female lead! As Qiqi, the antagonist-turned-heroine, comes to realise her predicament, she wonders if she, too, has a chance to achieve happiness for herself.
9. Love At First Taste
Love At First Taste is a short drama series with an intriguing plotline. It depicts the love story between a man who bears the curse of becoming bloodthirsty every full moon and a terminally ill woman. The two of them go through complicated trials, but ultimately, they find love.
10. Flavour It's Yours
Flavour It's Yours is a fanciful romantic comedy. The male protagonist is a wine taster with a keen sense of taste that enables him to distinguish aromas precisely. Conversely, the female lead has a syndrome that causes taste loss from a very young age. They are thus entirely opposite to one another. What happens when they exchange their sense of taste due to some supernatural influence? Find out how they overcome the many issues in their daily life caused by this sudden event. Along the way, they start living together and falling in love.
