Best Pre-2019 Chinese Period Drama You Haven't Watched
Let's discover the best pre-2019 Chinese period drama you haven't watched, but you probably should! Or those you have watched but feel most people should try/know about!
To make this more interesting, and really discover those hidden gems (or the not-so-hidden, but still gems), I'll only allow period/costume/historical/wuxia/xianxia/etc. Chinese dramas that have started airing up to the end of 2018 AND have up to 15 000 watchers in MDL.
[Note: To add dramas, start typing through the search bar on the right of the list or on the bottom of the list. You can rearrange, change your votes, or delete your votes anytime from the list of your voted items on the right of the list.]
See my other Voting Lists here.
Estelll May 21, 2023
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![Nirvana in Fire Season 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin]()
1. Nirvana in Fire Season 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin
Chinese Drama - 2017, 50 episodes1,074 points by 11 votersXiao Ping Zhang and Xiao Ping Jing are the talented sons of Xiao Ting Sheng, the Prince of Changlin and general of the Liang dynasty’s most powerful army. Ping Zhang is the ...more -
![The Rise of Phoenixes]()
Feng Zhi Wei is the unfavored daughter of the Qiu Family, who has to flee due to unfortunate circumstances. Owing a favour to the 6th prince Ning Yi, Zhi Wei cross-dresses as ...more -
![Empresses in the Palace]()
A young woman born of the Eight Banners' family marries the Emperor. After surviving many murderous scandals and betrayals, she prevails as the most powerful woman in the Emperor's harem, the Empress ...more -
![Ever Night]()
After his family is massacred by a ruthless general, young Ning Que survives in the wild, honing his wits and combat skills. He rescues a baby girl from a pile of corpses, ...more -
![Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace]()
The road to becoming an empress is paved with treachery. Ru Yi is a consort who quickly learns to navigate the treacherous politics of the royal court and move up the ranks. ...more -
![Battle of Changsha]()
'Battle of Changsha' retells the turbulent events of the second Sino-Japanese War from the perspective of the Hu family, particularly through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl named Hu Xiang Xiang and ...more -
![Scarlet Heart]()
A car accident sends Zhang Xiao back in time into the body of one of her previous reincarnations, a 16-year-old aristocratic Manchu girl, Maertai Ruoxi, who lived during the Qing Dynasty. Despite ...more -
![Tientsin Mystic]()
During the Republican era, a river is haunted by inexplicable occurrences. Guo De You is a policeman who succeeds in his master 'Old River God' and has inherited his ability to weed ...more -
![Bloody Romance]()
In the turbulent interregnum following the collapse of the Tang dynasty, a young daughter of a herbalist is tricked and sold to a brothel. After a harrowing escape from death, she finds ...more -
![Oh My General]()
During the Song Dynasty, Ye Zhao cross dresses to become a general of outstanding ability, receiving a top rank of general. The Empress Dowager constantly worries about Ye Zhao holding too much ...more -
![The Dark Lord]()
Ye Xiao Tian works as a prison guard at the Ministry of Justice in the capital city. During his time of service, he takes on an assignment to deliver a message to ...more -
![Three Kingdoms]()
Three Kingdoms is a Chinese television series adapted from Luo Guanzhong's classical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Directed by Gao Xixi, the 95 episodes long series has a budget of over ...more -
![Chinese Paladin]()
The story takes place in a fantasy medieval China. Li Xiao Yao, a "Stinky Punk", journeys to Dream Island to find a cure for his sick aunt. There he meets and marries ...more -
![The Vigilantes in Masks]()
Li Ge Xiao is skilled in martial arts and has the brain to match it. In his former life, he was a high ranking Marshal with great law enforcement authority. But after ...more -
![Fights Break Sphere]()
Xiao Yan is a genius child who suddenly loses all his powers. In a world governed by strength and power, Xiao Yan’s lack of talent is an embarrassment to his family. At ...more -
![The Advisors Alliance]()
The story of Sima Yi, a great politician and strategist who lived during the Three Kingdoms era. By his side, Sima Yi has his politically-astute distaff members of his household, and pitted ...more -
![Nothing Gold Can Stay]()
Zhou Ying is sold to the powerful Shen family by her foster father, yet successfully escapes by sneaking into merchant Wu Ping’s palanquin. The Wu family agreed to take her in after ...more -
![Chinese Paladin Season 3]()
Fifty years prior to the events of season one, the mischievous, happy-go-lucky Jing Tian, a young man with an appetite for money, obtains a magical jade which directs him to meet a ...more -
![Return of the Condor Heroes]()
The story concerns the adventures of Yang Guo, an orphaned boy in a mid-13th Century China. From his humble beginnings, the street wise Yang Guo gets passed around from one prestigious master ...more -
![An Oriental Odyssey]()
Based off Miao Juan's novel. In Tang Dynasty, the chivalrous eldest daughter of the Assistant Minister of Revenue, Ye Yuan An, saves Mu Le, an amnesiac young man of mysterious identity. Yuan ...more -
![Rookie Agent Rouge]()
Lan Yan Zhi is a privileged banker's daughter. She is a genius and has excellent observation and analytical skills along with a very sharp memory. She is not an average person and ...more -
![The Great Shaolin]()
During the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Jiajing Emperor was incompetent, and the court was dominated by the corrupt Yan faction. Corruption ran rampant within the government, and coastal pirates ...more -
![Sound of the Desert]()
Yu Jin was raised within the desert tribes of Xiong Nu, although her foster father is a Han. Under certain circumstances, she was forced to flee to Chang'an, the then capital of ...more -
![Noble Aspirations]()
One night, when Zhang Xiao Fan was eleven years old, everyone in his village was killed, leaving only his childhood friend Lin Jin Yu and a villager Uncle Wang to survive. They ...more -
![Princess Pearl]()
Xiao Yan Zi met Xia Zi Wei, a poor girl who marched a long way to find her father, the Emperor, but nobody took her seriously. Xiao Yan Zi decided to sneak ...more -
![Chef Fang]()
Fang Yi Shao is an orphan girl who is a talented chef, but unwittingly gets forced to marry infamous young master Shen Yong as a substitute bride. Coincidentally, Shen Yong had inadvertently ...more -
![Wu Xin: The Monster Killer]()
Wu Xin is a wandering immortal who has no recollection of how long he has lived or how he came to be, but he has supernatural powers where he can see and ...more -
![Prince of Lan Ling]()
A prophecy foretold that victory goes to the one who has the priestess' blessing. Yang Xue Wu, the last priestess of her clan, unwittingly embroiled in a war between Northern Qi and ...more -
![Go Princess, Go!]()
While enjoying an outdoor party, playboy Zhang Peng finds himself needing a quick escape from an approaching ex-girlfriend. He makes a mad dash for the swimming pool, only to have the lady ...more -
![The Imperial Doctress]()
Set in the Ming Dynasty under the rule of Emperor Zhu Qi Zhen when women doctors were not in practice, Hang Yun Xian comes from a long line of medical practitioners, her ...more -
![Love Is More Than a Word]()
Tao Mo is a playful guy with a good family background. He buys a county magistrate position in Tanyang, a well-known place for barristers because both of the top barristers, Lin Zheng ...more -
![Colourful Bone]()
Changing one's face is full of uncertainties. It is difficult to determine whether such a technique is good or bad and whether it will bring good fortune or ill will to those ...more -
![Singing All Along]()
Liu Xiu fell in love with Yin Li Hua the moment he laid eyes on her, commenting that his ideal job would be as a chamberlain of the imperial insignia, and his ...more -
![The King of Blaze]()
It is a story revolving around the Fire God, the Wind Goddess and the ensuing romance between them as they risk their lives for the sake of their homeland. Thousands of years ...more -
![Lost Love in Times]()
Feng Qing Chen is a sorceress of Mingyi Tower, the secret organisation tasked with protecting the royal family. Yuan Ling is a prince from Western Wei, a ruling kingdom during the Northern ...more -
![The Journey of Flower]()
It tells the story of Hua Qian Gu. On the day of her birth, flowers wilted and the skies turned dark as her mother passed during child birth. Her father passed away ...more -
![The Disguiser]()
Focusing on a story of betrayal, romance, friendship, and familial ties behind the Sino-Japanese war. Ming Tai is a man from a wealthy family who was trained as a spy and then ...more -
![Legend of Lu Zhen]()
To escape her cruel stepmother, Lu Zhen enters the palace as an attendant. She was quickly promoted through the ranks for her pottery-making skill. During this time, she captures the heart of ...more -
![The Empress of China]()
In 637 AD, a young girl named Wu Ru Yi from Jingzhou County was selected into the imperial harem of the Tang Dynasty. Ru Yi danced very well and outshined all the ...more -
![The Four]()
The Four is the story of four young men – Cold Blood, Chaser, Heartless, and Iron Fist – who each excel in different martial arts practices and use their expertise to bring ...more -
![King Is Not Easy]()
Da Xi is a good cook who dreams of finding herself the most handsome husband. When meeting Royal Guard Shao Yong, it was love at first sight. Needing to stay near him, ...more -
![Cinderella Chef]()
Ye Jia Yao travels back in time to ancient times, where she becomes the daughter of a magistrate with the name Ye Jin Xuan. When she wakes up, she is suddenly kidnapped ...more -
![The Starry Night, the Starry Sea Season 2]()
43. The Starry Night, the Starry Sea Season 2
Chinese Drama - 2017, 34 episodes204 points by 3 votersSet in the seaside town Chang Le of the prosperous Tang with a developed shipbuilding industry, the drama tells the story of a human girl Lu Li who disguises herself as a ...more -
![Ice Fantasy]()
Hundred of years after the war between the Fire Tribe and the Ice Tribe, the second prince of the Fire Tribe is mysteriously killed during his visit to the Ice Tribe for ...more -
![Oh! My Emperor]()
Luo Fei Fei, a 21st-century doctor, was unexpectedly transported to the mysterious ancient nation of Huang Dao, the kingdom of the Zodiac. By chance, it happened to be the monarch rotation system ...more -
![Untouchable Lovers]()
Tianji Tower, the dominant force in the martial world, aims to overthrow the tyrant Liu Zi Ye of the Liu Song dynasty. They replace his sister, Liu Chu Yu, with their disciple ...more -
![Legend of Chu and Han]()
Liu Bang is one of the most controversial emperors in the history of China. A lowly commoner by birth, he conquered the entire country and laid the foundation for the great Han ...more -
![Demi Gods & Semi Devils]()
The epic centers around the Beggar Leader Qiao Feng, the Dali Prince Duan Yu and the Shaolin Monk Xu Zhu. Each of their stories is interweaved throughout the show and finally clash ...more -
![I’m a Pet at Dali Temple]()
Ru Xiao Lan is a young woman from the modern day. Through a series of circumstances, she travels to ancient times as a cat. Purely by chance, she meets Qing Mo Yan, ...more -
![Sword Stained With Royal Blood]()
Yuan Cheng Zhi is the son of a general who has been killed by the emperor. He comes across a beautiful girl named Qing Qing, and they embark on exciting adventures together, ...more -
![The Qin Empire]()
In the mid-fourth century BC, during the Warring States period, groundbreaking political changes occur in the Qin state in western China. Qin, weakened by poverty and internal conflict, is in peril of ...more -
![Novoland: The Castle in the Sky]()
Peace had been maintained between the Human Clan and Winged Clan for a century. However, the Winged Clan grew weaker as the Flower Fairy of Shooting Stars they relied on for their ...more -
![Sparrow]()
This drama is set during the revolutionary time in Shanghai. During the republican revolution, Chen Shen is a secret agent under Special Operations Executive Director Bi Zhong Liang, among the agents called ...more -
![Xuan-Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky]()
This centers around two descendants, Yuwen Tuo and Chen Jing Chou, and their plans to recover the Northern Zhou and Chen Dynasties, their respective heritages, by finding several mystical, powerful weapons. These ...more -
![The Legend of Dugu]()
A prophecy bearing the words, "The World of Dugu: He who has Dugu, has the world" reverberates across the lands to imply that the Dugu family was destined to do great things. ...more -
![Cuo Dian Yuan Yang]()
Su Huan Er got a bad feeling when Shi Wu Ji agreed to marry her. He, his two brothers and his sister hated her father with a passion. But if they thought ...more -
![The Great Revival]()
This drama takes place during the turbulent Spring and Autumn Period and tells the well-known story of the downfall and revival of Gou Jian, King of Yue. After his defeat, Gou Jian ...more -
![Cao Cao]()
Series aimed to portray a more historically accurate image of Cao Cao and covers his life from adolescent years and early career to the period just before the Battle of Red Cliffs. ...more -
![The Lure of the Hua Xu Song]()
It tells the story of a princess of a fallen kingdom who died to show her loyalty to her kingdom and becomes resurrected by the power of the Aqua Tear Pearl. She ...more -
![Princess Jieyou]()
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Princess Jie You is sent to Xiyu to act as a form of Heqin. There, she must learn to adapt to her new life ...more -
![Ban Shu Legend]()
Produced by Yu Zheng and written by screenwriter Zhang Wei, this is the counterpart to his previous popular series Female Prime Minister. The story tells of the niece of the first female ...more -
![Martial Universe]()
Lin Dong is a child from a small village who isn't favored by his family. By chance, he obtains a mysterious artefact that is coveted by many clans in the martial world. ...more -
![Cruel Romance]()
“Cruel Romance” tells the story of Rong Jin Xiu, a country girl who travels to Shanghai in order to discover why her entire family was killed. Along the way, she meets triad ...more -
![General and I]()
In a world ravaged by war, the four great nations, Jin, Yan, Liang and Qin, are ceaseless in their pursuit of power and ultimate domination. In the midst of this endless conflict, ...more -
![The Legend of Zu]()
Zhuge Yu Wo is the leader of the Mt. Zu Sect, a highly prestigious sect in Jiang Hu (martial art world). In order to protect the world from catastrophic chaos, he battled ...more -
![The Glory of Tang Dynasty]()
It tells the life of a woman, intelligent and kind, who becomes a concubine of the inner court while her love for the people enables her to do great things for the ...more -
![Siege in Fog]()
An arrogant third master of a powerful family falls in love at first sight with a pretty young maiden and uses every means possible to force her hand in marriage, despite her ...more -
![The King's Woman]()
Gong Sun Li is the granddaughter and disciple of military commander Gong Sun Yu. Jing Ke (first disciple) and Sun Li are childhood lovers and were forced to escape when Qin troops ...more -
![Lost in 1949]()
On New Year’s Day in 1949, female accountant Huang Li Wen returns to her hometown Shanghai in order to commemorate her husband and comrade’s death. As a Communist agent, she is ordered ...more -
![Legend of Nine Tails Fox]()
Long coveted for its ability to grant wondrous powers to whoever eats it, the Mei fruit of Qing Qiu has been under the protection of the fox clan for generations. But when ...more -
![Fighter of the Destiny]()
Chen Chang Sheng was abandoned in a flowing river and found by a Taoist monk. Plagued with an incurable disease, he is fated not to live past the age of 20. Chang ...more -
![The Dream of Red Mansions]()
Jai Bao Yu is a male heir who grew up in a wealthy feudal clan dominated by women. His love affairs with his cousins Lin Dai Yu and Xue Bao Chai happened ...more -
![Schemes of a Beauty]()
Set in Chang'an, China during the beginnings of the Han Dynasty, Meiren Xinji tells a dramatized account of Empress Dou and how her efforts and achievements in the royal court positively influenced ...more -
![Princess at Large]()
Doctor Ji Xian Yun is an intern at a medical school in the modern times. She time travels to the olden times into the Chancellor's second daughter's body, who tried to commit ...more -
![Your Highness]()
The main protagonist is Qin Zhan, an avid player of a popular online game called New Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (it's both an actual game in China and a well-loved classic wuxia). Qin ...more -
![Laughing in the Wind]()
Ling Hu Chong a member of the Hua Shan sword practicing body is in for trouble after his classmates suspect him of being the robber of their worshipped sword canon scripture. Trying ...more -
![Detective Samoyeds]()
This 'X Files of the Tang Dynasty' revolves around a special bureau established for the sole purpose of investigating the paranormal and the occult. The six-member A-team is not your average detective ...more -
![The Legend of the Condor Heroes]()
The story is set in the middle of Song Dynasty and at the beginning of the Nuzhen Invasion of China. Two dedicated Song Dynasty young men, Yang Tie Xin and Guo Xiao ...more -
![Flying Swords of Dragon Gate]()
The story begins when hero Zhao Huai’an decides to take refuge at the Dragon Gate Inn after being pursued by government officials for rescuing one of their captives. There, he is saved ...more -
![The Little Fairy]()
This drama is a retelling of a well-know love story between a goddess and a mortal. Goddess Xiao Qi commits a major crime. She is punished by stripping her powers and is ...more -
![Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy]()
The story follows the brotherhood of an imprisoned half-human half-spirit prince, an abandoned son of a general, and the heir of a slaughtered tribe as they uncover the secrets of their past ...more -
![Mengfei Comes Across]()
A story revolving around the mischievous Concubine Meng who starts out at odds with the King but falls in love with him in the process. Bu Meng is the daughter of a ...more -
![Swords of Legends]()
In Legend of the Ancient Sword, which takes place during the Tang Dynasty, young martial artist Bai Li Tu Su feels a mysterious aura in him that can be suppressed only with ...more -
![The Book and the Sword]()
The rebellious Red Flower Society, led by their charismatic leader Chan Gar Lok, attempts to assassinate Ching Emperor Qian Lung. As Chan and his fellow fighters organize to carry out their goal, ...more -
![The Taoism Grandmaster]()
It has been foretold over three thousand years ago that the apocalypse is impending and that one Taoist grandmaster will emerge to save the world. To give the people a fighting chance, ...more -
![A Life Time Love]()
Chi Yun is a skilled martial artist who grew up in the wilderness. He falls in love with XuanYang Ruo / Mu Qing Mo at first sight, and openly pursues her once ...more -
![Men with Sword]()
Thunder crackles, territories split, and warlords rise. After more than three centuries, the Empire of Juntian began to collapse as three of the four major duchies declared their independence, each reigning over ...more -
![Secret of Three Kingdoms]()
The last hope of the crumbling Han Dynasty bears an unspeakable secret with the power to destroy the imperial rule it seeks to save during the turbulent Three Kingdoms era, tied to ...more -
![Too Late to Say I Love You]()
Yin Jing Wan, a young woman from a wealthy merchant family, saved a young man on a train who was escaping from a rivaling warlord manhunt. When she returned home, her parents ...more -
![Princess of Lanling King]()
The story tells the legend of the QingLuan mirror and Lican sword, which is said to be able to reunite the country when possessed by the owner. These items were once formerly ...more -
![Xuan-Yuan Sword: Han Cloud]()
After the ancient Emperor defeated the demons, the shattered sword was broken into two parts. Two sword spirits were born - Zhao Yun and Mu Yun. However, due to the chaos caused ...more -
![The Flame's Daughter]()
Lie Ru Ge is the daughter of the master of Lie Huo Manor which is the most powerful jiang hu sect. She is a cheerful beauty who’s trying to regain her eldest ...more -
![The Young Warriors]()
This drama focuses on the earlier days of the legendary Yang Clan when most of them were not yet soldiers. It tells of how their parents, their enemies, and the women they ...more -
![Strange Stories from Liao Zhai Season 4]()
A new collection of stories from Liao Zhai. There are a total of 8 stories. 1. Lu Pan 2. Qian Kun 3. Heng Niang 4. Lian Suo 5. Ye Sheng 6. Ye ...more -
![Legend of Mi Yue]()
Mi Yue, daughter of King Wei of Chu, was the first stateswoman in the history of China. The drama details her turbulent life, as Mi Yue becomes a concubine, gets separated her ...more -
![The Destiny of White Snake]()
Master of the medicinal valley and disciple of the Jade Emperor, Zi Xuan, was well on his way to becoming a deity when he met Bai Yao Yao. A little white snake ...more -
![Rule the World]()
Tells of the romance between Dong Ge and Huang Tai Ji. Dong Ge is known as the most beautiful woman of Later Jin (Jurchen), yet was born with the prophecy that she ...more -
![The Palace: The Lock Heart Jade]()
Luo Qing Chuan is a modern-day girl with a love of history who accidentally travels back in time to Emperor Kang Xi's era of the Qing dynasty. She becomes embroiled in the ...more -
![Tang Dynasty Tour]()
A story filled with laughter and tears revolving around an archaeologist who time travels to the Tang Dynasty and gets caught in the political struggles in the palace. After getting caught in ...more -
![Meteor, Butterfly, Sword]()
A shooting star burns but briefly, but while it burns what other star in the heavens is as bright, as brilliant.? When a shooting star appears, not even the stars in the ...more
