C-dramas, you will always find a fixed set of characters despite the storyline. The prototypical characters make the whole drama and storyline complete for the audience. The prototypical characters of C-dramas are given below.
1. The Rich Man
In most Chinese dramas, it is more common that the male lead is the wealthy heir of a corporation and is the CEO. The cold-hearted nature of the CEO makes everyone hate him except a girl who stands against him. To be honest, male leads of C-dramas have grabbed a good place in the audience’s heart. Like Fang Leng, played by Thassapak Hsu from My Girlfriend Is An Alien.
2. The Kind Girl
The prototypical female lead of a C-drama is shown as a poor girl who is always kind and bubbly to others. Her boyfriend cheated on her, or her crush doesn't like her. It is the standard back story about the female lead. To be honest, many female leads written by writers are not liked by the audience as the story is always the same. Like Xue Shanshan, played by Zhao Liying from Boss & Me.
3. The Best Friend
Who doesn't want a friendship group like Chinese drama as it is like a gorgeous dream? The female and the male lead every time and get the best friendship group ever. We all have to agree that having one good best friend is enough for anyone to ensure that they have someone to rely on. Like He Zi Qiu and Zhang Xincheng from Go Ahead.
4. The Third Wheel
Chinese dramas don’t necessarily have a villain in most stories, but there is a compulsory love interest for the male lead. You will always find a girl who wants to have the male lead. I have seen so many C-dramas, and having a girl do crazy things just to get the guy is not something in this era, we appreciate anymore. Like Li Man, played by Joy Sheng from Cute Programmer.
5. Mother
I don’t know why, but in every country's drama, the mother is the main and notorious villain in the love story. Just like in K-dramas in C-dramas, getting approval from the male lead’s mother is not easy. As most male leads are CEOs and female leads are shown poorly, the mothers will not agree with it. Like Chen Ting, played by Tongshu Yang from Go Ahead.
6. Parents Relationship
Another prototypical character is having a bad relationship with their parents. In most of the drama, one of the two main leads have a bad relationship with their parents. Whether it’s the male lead, the family forced to get married, or the past trauma that still haunts. If it's a female lead, then pressing to do things in their way. In the C-drama My Little Princess, Lin Xin Chen is forced to live a perfect life like a doll by her mother.
7. Second Lead Couple Syndrome
Why it is always that the second lead couple steals the spotlight? Maybe because their story is light and easygoing. You will always find the lead's best friend or sibling in the hate-to-love relationship. And to be honest, it’s good to watch. Like Fang Lie and Xiao Bu from My Girlfriend Is An Alien S2.
8. The Side Character
In Chinese dramas, apart from the friendship group, a side character always steals while being effortlessly funny or wise. And the audience is always thankful to have such a good side character. Like Zi Ru, played by Wu Yijia from The Romance Of Tiger And Rose.
9. The Boy Group
It has to be one of the favorite prototypical characters that makes the C-drama more entertaining for the people. We have to agree that C-dramas have some of the best boy groups with every kind of character we love. The boys know how to make people wish to have friendships like them. The F4 from Meteor Garden.
10. Unlikable Protagonist
There are many chances where the audience doesn’t like the female or male lead. Sometimes, these characters act so dumb and cringy that it makes the audience want to know why such a character is even written. Like Jinmi, played by Yang Zi from Ashes Of Love.
