To be frank, I would like to watch a historical drama, be it Chinese/Korean or east Asian in general that depict life of women before they had rights..

For example, the archaic rules women had to follow e.g. be quiet, serve, don't be outspoken, dress modestly, never hang alone with a guy.. et cetera.

Bonus if it is somewhat historically accurate.

Okay, here comes my list:


  • My Dearest - it depicts the real history, where Qing invaded Joseon and the story does tell the bravery of yangban girls who had to do whatever they could to survive, but also follow Neo-Confucian rules. It greatly shows how women were treated back than, but I have to warn you, Neo-Confucianism was truly craaazy...
  • A frozen flower - it's a movie and it shows a real history, but this time the plot is set in Goryeo and you can see the contract between how Joseon worked, and Goryeo worked in terms of philosophy. 
  • Captivating the king - it's a currently airing drama, and even though it is set in fictional Joseon thus has fictional monarch, they kept the philosophy of Joseon in it, thus you can see how the Joseon treat women, BUT I feel that you need a prior understanding of Joseon in order to truly spot the ''weird'' things. If you don't have the knowledge, you might think that FL is dumb and mostly, question second male lead, which did happen in the beginning. With this drama you truly have to switch your mindset and think as if you were in Joseon as well, because only than the attitude of some characters would be understood. 
  • Princess'Man - it is an old Korean sageuk, but still loved till this day. It is based on real history, where daegun Su Yang took over the throne and became a monarch. The story thus focuses on the political aspect and romance of Su Yang's daughter with a rebel. This show in terms of woman rights focuses on the filial piety. 
  • Queen for seven days - once again focuses on real history and politics mixed with romance. I highly recommend this drama.
  • Drama Special Season 12: The palace - real story of crown princess who was intimate with her palace maid 

Sorry, I do not know about Chinese history and focus only on Korea so I could recommend you only Korean shows/movies.