Chinese television dramas, popularly known as C-dramas, mainly consist of 30-40 episodes long series that originate from China or the greater region of China. Asia-wide and mainly in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Cambodia, are becoming increasingly popular. The main reasons these dramas are gaining popularity is because of the Diverse Storylines and Slice of life. By diverse, it means they have drama for everyone since they cover a wide range of genres, offering everyone entertainment regardless of an individual’s interests and preferences. To engage the audience, they also realistically depict issues in the series, such as unfair practices, workloads, family dynamics, and the mental health of the students. Here, we have listed the top 10 Chinese dramas with 40 episodes.
1. Skate Into Love
Skate Into Love is a drama based on a novel. The story revolves around Li Yu Bing (Steven Zhang), a humble and reserved boy who aspires to evolve into a professional ice hockey player. Tang Xue (Wu Qian), is a noisy and deadly girl, who aspires to become a professional speed skater. Regardless of their love for the ice rink, Tang Xue likes to bully Wu Qian in elementary school. However, things turn when they get reunited at the same university. At first, when Li Yu Bing encounters Tang Xue at university, he finds it as an opportunity to take revenge on Tang Xue but eventually falls in love with her in the process of tormenting her and encourages her to continue on her dreams.
2. Fate
Fate is a series about an ordinary girl named Xia Ran Ran (Li Yi Tong), who has no particular goals other than to be noticed by her crush, Lin Xiang An (Song Chen). However, unfortunately, Xiang An only holds a place in his heart for Su Mo (Shi Shi), a stunning woman who makes Ran Ran feel unattractive when she draws comparisons between herself and her. As the truth is bitter, like medicine, Ran Ran decides to swallow the fact and move on from Xiang An. In her phase of moving on, she is now engaged with Shao Ming Zhe (Lu Yi). As she goes through with a loveless marriage before her, she starts questioning herself about what she wants and starts unraveling the mystery to whom her heart belongs.
3. Caught In The Heartbeat
Young and aspirational Yixiu Tang aspires to become a police officer, meets Shi Gu Jin, a woman whose family is full of law enforcement officials and who was involved in an accident year ago that left her in coma. She wakes up from the coma after three years with no recollection of any memory of her accident. Yixiu Tang and Shi Gu Jing join forces to uncover the mysteries behind her accident while fighting against crimes together.
4. A Girl Like Me
A Girl Like Me is a historical romance drama about the beautiful princess Ban Hua, who has received three marriage proposals. Due to her straightforward way of talking and high temper, their relationship ended terribly. Despite having an ill reputation about herself, she is thoughtful and keeps her family and people around her safe from upcoming dangers. Her life turns upside down when she encounters Count Rong Xia, a young gentleman scholar who lost his family in a tragedy. Rong Xia seeks answers about his past and family. Ban Hua forms a bond of friendship with Rong Xia and agrees to help Rong Xia to learn about the truth.
5. Granting You A Dreamlike Life
Granting You a Dreamlike Life is a time-travelling series where Lin Jing Yin a Chinese-American food critic and a magazine editor for food publications, travels to Shanghai to taste street foods and discover her heritage. Lin Jing Yin was brought up in France. She finds a diary belonging to Duan Tian Ying and read about her life back in the 1920s. As she travels in the past while reading the diary, she learns about the love life of Tian Ying. Tian Ying is bewildered about her feelings toward her two friends, Luo Fu Sheng and Xu Xing Cheng. She starts falling for Xu Xing Cheng’s sweet and kind personality while she is also intrigued by Luo Fu Sheng’s arrogance on the other hand.
6. Hello, The Sharpshooter
Hello, the Sharpshooter is a drama about two high schoolers, Tang Xin (Xing Fei) and Yuan Shen Qing (Hu Yi Tian). For Tang Xin, Shen Qing was her love at first sight but, she never confessed her feelings to him. However, Yuan Shen reminds her that he will never forget her. Their paths took different turns; Tang Xin became a trainee reporter, while Yuan Shen became a pistol shooter, representing China in the Olympics. However, fate brings them back together. Tang Xin interviews Yuan Shen, yet her presence causes him to feel uneasy and distracted, which begins to affect his performance. Nevertheless, as they spend more time together, Yuan Shen wonders that he might have fallen for Tang Xin.
7. The King’s Avatar
The King's Avatar is a story about Ye Xiu, a professional top-tier and textbook-level expert gamer who gets expelled forcefully against his will from his team under critical circumstances. Afterward, he started doing a job at an internet café. When Glory (Online Game) launched their new server, Ye Xiu partakes into the game once again, and with his experience of gaming for years, he thrives for a new beginning.
8. Twenty Your Life On
Twenty Your Life On is a drama based on worries that youth face while entering adult life. In this drama, Jiang Xiao Guo envies her other three roommates as she has no rich background or pretty looks. Duan Jia Bao comes from a wealthy family. Luo Yan is also secure as she is in good hands because of her mother. Lastly, Liang Shuang is a visually appealing and socializing person. Liang Shuang is the only senior. While they spend their time together and face hardships, the girls eventually grow close to each other.
9. You Are My Hero
Mi Ka, a newly graduated doctor, is robbed while buying jewellery as a gift for her parents. There, she encounters Xing Ke Lei, a Special Force Captain in charge of the situation. However, Mi ka could not see his face entirely as he was in a combat uniform with a mask. A few years after that incident, Mi Ka decides to partake in a joint emergency rescue training where she meets Captain Xing Ke Lei again, and as they get to know each other, they start developing feelings for each other.
10. Little Doctor
Little Doctor is a rom-com series about a young doctor Guo Jing, who madly falls in love with Huang Rong and pursues her from the moment he first sees her. However, Huang Rong is the younger sister of Guo Jing’s Boss. His boss will never allow her sister to be with a poor and unambitious doctor. Despite getting hatred from his boss for chasing Huang Rong, he still won’t give up on pursuing her.
