Best mandarin TV series TOP 25
by hooraychining | created - 29 Sep 2010 | updated - 8 months ago | PublicThe feeling of "best" has changed with age. In 2021, I made adjustments to this list for the first time in 11 years since its creation.What is left is still worth watching repeatedly or carefully understanding its meaning. Since 2022, I've handpicked a few additions to this list that meet my criteria for the best of the best.
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1. San guo yan yi (1995)
TV-14 | 3,840 min | Drama, History, War
In an age of turmoil, heroes will rise. . . It is the end of the 2nd Century and China is in a state of turmoil. The land is divided by warlords and the country is facing famine, droughts, ... See full summary »
Stars: Guoqiang Tang, Yanjun Sun, Guoan Bao, Jing-fei Li
Votes: 1,018
2. Pin zui Zhang Damin de xing fu sheng huo (1999– )
47 min | Comedy, Drama
Stars: Guanhua Liang, Yuanyuan Zhu, Xiulin Xu, Dazhi Bao
Votes: 53
The ups and downs of daily life of the bottom blue-collar in China
3. Bei Jing ren zai Niu Yue (1993– )
45 min | Drama, Romance
A Chinese cello artist who grew up under the educational background of Mao era came to New York to make a living. During doing business in New York, his career, love, and family had both gains and losses.
Stars: Wen Jiang, Ji Wang, Xiaopin Yan, Karl Eiselen
Votes: 186
After accepting the educational environment of the Mao era, the story of an entrepreneur who went abroad with a typical case
4. Da zhai men (2001–2003)
47 min | Drama
This Chinese period drama series follows the fortunes of a prominent merchant family engaged in Traditional Chinese Medicine during the waning years of the Qing dynasty.
Stars: Baoguo Chen, Saifei He, Peiqi Liu, Siqin Gaowa
Votes: 559
A history of the rise and fall of a large family with love and justice. Everything can't be described normally when a party came in the late of season 2.
5. Hong lou meng (1987– )
45 min | Drama
Based on the mid-eighteenth century novel by Cao Xueqin, Beijing's CCTV's version of "A Dream in Red Mansions" (aka Dream of the Red Chamber) is known by many to be the ultimate and best ... See full summary »
Stars: Jie Deng, Fenqiang Ouyang, Xiaoxu Chen, Ting Li
Votes: 688
6. Wei cheng (1990– )
49 min
Fang is a returned overseas student without any academic credential. He moves in different ladies for love and marriage, but results in a failed life.
Stars: Daoming Chen, Ke Bi, Da Ying, Liping Lü
Votes: 130
Sorrows and joys of traditional Chinese scholars in 1920s-1930s.
8. Shanghai Beach (1980– )
45 min | Drama, History
Just before the WWII, at the verge of Japanese general invasion to China, XU Wenqiang, a disenchanted college graduate, went to Shanghai and met DING Li, a simple street merchant. The two ... See full summary »
Stars: Angie Chiu, Ray Lui, Dan Lau, Chow Yun-Fat
Votes: 327
9. Bian ji bu de gu shi (1991–1992)
47 min | Comedy, Drama
The drama depicts a world called "guidelines for editorial department, six different characters are understanding, communication and collision between the helpfulness of the editor, the ... See full summary »
Stars: You Ge, Liping Lü, Yaohua Hou, Zhengwei Tong
Votes: 175
The working rhythm of Beijing editorial office in the early 1990s, the conflicts between new and old employees, and various stories in the context of reform and opening up.
10. The Legend of the Condor Heroes (1983– )
42 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
This is the first chapter of Jin Yong (Louis Cha)'s famous trilogy which also includes "Return of the Condor Heroes" (Shen Diao Xia Lu) and "Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre" (Yi Tian Tu Long ... See full summary »
Stars: Stephen Chow, Wah Yuen, Kien Shih, Man-Tat Ng
Votes: 699
11. Wu lin wai zhuan (2006– )
50 min | Comedy
A comedy about some friends and their stories in Qixia Town
Stars: Ni Yan, Yi Sha, Entai Yu, Chen Yao
Votes: 812
Use a virtual ancient inn to satirize current social problems. Only those who understand Chinese dialects can understand its sense of humor.
12. The Legend of Liu Yong (1996– )
Biography, Drama
Legend of Liu Yong - a smart and conscientious official in the period of Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
Stars: Baotian Li, Gang Wang, Jie Deng, Guoli Zhang
Votes: 195
13. Who Dominate My Youth? (2009– )
43 min | Drama
Stars: Ziqi Zhao, Yi Lu, Luodan Wang, Yuchen Zhu
Votes: 50
14. Wo ai wo jia (1993–1994)
25 min | Comedy, Family
A story about 1990's a six-member family and their neighbors, relatives and friends of cross-section society in Beijing, with reflection of city life's way in mainland China.
Stars: Xingyu Wen, Dandan Song, Lixin Yang, Ling Guan
Votes: 292
It is said to be inspired by "Growing Pains", the first family sitcom in mainland China.
15. Hao xiang hao xiang tan lian ai (2004– )
48 min | Drama, Romance
Four sworn female followers gather periodically at Tan's small book bar and share their emotional lives respectively. All of the four are looking for their love of dreaming.
Stars: Wenli Jiang, Jing Liang, Ying Na, Haiqiong Luo
Votes: 29
The lines are dramatic, Chinese expression of feminism and still seems avant-garde in 2020s.
16. Qian fu (2009– )
42 min | Drama, Romance
While working in the KMT intelligence station in Tianjin, a Communist undercover agent achieved a series of incredible feats with the help of his stand-in wife.
Stars: Honglei Sun, Chen Yao, Feng Zu, Enhe Feng
Votes: 587
17. An suan (2005– )
40 min | Drama
Stars: Shu Chen, Baoqiang Wang, Chunli Song, Xijuan Zhu
Votes: 59
18. Expectation (1990– )
Drama, Family
Set in early 1980s in Beijing. Liu Huifang is a young woman grew up and still lives in an alley in Beijing. Liu falls in love with a young guy who comes from an intellectual family in ... See full summary »
Stars: Kaili Zhang, Xuejian Li, Meiying Huang, Song Sun
Votes: 45
19. Love in a Fallen City (2009– )
45 min | Drama, Romance, War
Stars: Shu Chen, Jue Huang, Xuebing Wang, Yihan Liu
Votes: 20
20. The Bad Kids (2020)
50 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A story that follows three children who unintentionally film a murder scene. As they become involve with the suspect, it opens up a case that is far more complicated than it looks and entraps several families into an unpredictable outcome.
Stars: Jingchun Wang, Zishan Rong, Pengyuan Shi, Lin Liu
Votes: 1,510
It has subverted the idealized expectations of Chinese parents for good children. Children are also human beings, and they may also be criminals.
21. The World Between Us (2019– )
55 min | Crime, Drama
"The World Between Us" is a 10-part, hour-long series that follows the aftermath of a mass shooting where the fates of all parties involved - the killer, the victims, the victims' families, the media and the defense teams are intertwined.
Stars: Alyssa Chia, Sheng-hao Wen, Kang Ren Wu, Tracy Chou
Votes: 2,904
A story that explores human rights and media conscience, reflecting the use of emotions and rational handling in the face of criminals.
22. Nirvana in Fire (2015–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Story about a son's search for his family's lost honor.
Stars: Kei Gambit, Ge Hu, Tu-Te-Ha-Meng, Kai Wang
Votes: 2,783
23. Su nü yang cheng ji (2019)
47 min | Comedy, Drama
A woman in her sixties, raised in a Chinese Herbal store in Taiwan. Now she must navigate the worlds of Love, marriage and human relationships.
Stars: Ying-Hsuan Hsieh, Sara Yu, Bamboo Chu-Sheng Chen, Bella Wu
Votes: 819
The growth experience of ordinary Taiwanese, warm family atmosphere and affection, full of love and humor.
24. Enemy (2021–2022)
45 min | Drama, Mystery
Spy couple live in their midlife crisis and are controlled by higher authorities based oversea. National security agency is chasing them and higher authorities is pushing them, where can the struggling couple go?
Stars: Jingfei Guo, Zhuo Tan, Bingyan Yan, Li Ning
Votes: 52
For the first time, I saw the hard daily life of a couple spy and their state of split personality. Although the final outcome is Chinese-style political correctness, other parts full of surprise and touching coexist.
25. Towards the Republic (2003– )
45 min | Drama, History
Set in the late 19th century and early 20th century. The Qing Dynasty goes extinct and the Republic of China is born.
Stars: Chun Sun, Zhong Lü, Yonggui Li, Shaohua Ma
Votes: 563
A serious and objective, neutral historical perspective that can serve as an education in democratic values.
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