With so many fantastic dramas released this year, it’s hard to know which were the best. That’s why we’ve put together this collection, highlighting the best Chinese dramas of 2021. Check it out!

BEST CHINESE DRAMAS of 2021

Tencent

Zhuo Rong (Fei Xing) has long dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but her mother is absolutely determined to see her daughter study finance abroad. Hoping that her daughter will successfully settle down somewhere overseas, Zhuo Rong’s mother won’t take “no” for an answer. Unable to convince her mother to let her pursue her dreams, Zhuo Rong has no choice but to do as her mother wishes. Or does she?

After successfully convincing her mother that she has set off for distant lands, Zhuo Rong secretly returns home to begin work as a legal intern. Taking on her first case, Zhuo Rong comes face-to-face with her childhood friend, Wen Shao Qing (Tang Xiao Tian). Now a surgeon, Shao Qing isn’t just Zhuo Rong’s client, he’s also her landlord and next-door neighbor. Tied together by the ever-tightening strings of fate, Zhuo Rong and Shao Qing find themselves drawing closer, despite their best efforts.

Engaged in a never-ending battle of wits, the childhood friends may fight against the ties that bind them, but how long will they be able to resist the inevitable?

Based on the novel of the same name by Dong Benxi Gu, “My Little Happiness” is a 2021 romantic comedy directed by Yang Long.

My Little Happiness

👩‍❤️‍👨 Happily Ever After 🩺

Born a concubine’s daughter, Shi Yi Niang (Tan Song Yun) was very well aware of her low status and lack of social connections. However, her low rank never once stopped her from speaking her mind or pursuing her dreams. Believing women should be free to pursue a life outside the home, Yi Niang hoped to someday use her embroidery skills to secure her freedom. But destiny had something else in store for her.&nbsp;

With the once esteemed Luo family now in a shocking state of decline, the only hope for salvation must come through an advantageous marriage alliance. Selected to be her family’s savior, Yi Niang is promised to a great general, the Yongping Duke, Xu Ling Yi (Wallace Chung). Now the wife of a man she hardly knows, Yi Niang finds herself entering an unfamiliar and unfriendly world. Scorned by the Xu family, Yi Niang must use every ounce of her strength to win their trust without betraying her own dreams.&nbsp;

Facing challenges on every side, Yi Niang and Ling Yi come to realize they have an ally in each other. Learning to depend on each other, an unexpected love begins to bloom, their strengthening relationship giving each a renewed strength to face the challenges ahead. But will their combined strength be enough to save the Xu family from impending ruin?

Adapted from the novel, “The Concubine-born Daughter’s Strategies” by Zhi Zhi, “The Sword and the Brocade” is a 2021 historical romance drama directed by Wen De Guang.

The Sword and the Brocade

⚔ Jin Xin Si Yu ✾ Team

Jiangsu TV, iQiyi

Ai Qing (Li Yi Tong) – also known by her gaming handle Appledog – is one of the top robot combat players in the land. A model professional, smart, and friendly, she has no shortage of fans. And chief among them is Wu Bai (Hu Yi Tian) – also known as DT.

Under Ai Qing’s tutelage, Wu Bai developed a keen passion for robot war contests and gaming, eventually becoming a star performer in his own right.

Now he has risen to become the robot combat scene’s biggest rising star, captaining a promising team new team named Pirate, which threatens to outshine even Ai Qing’s powerful Appledog team.

Despite their professional rivalry, the duo has remained close – and their feelings for one another keep growing, with romance also possibly in the cards.

But the ultimate challenge will come at the annual Robot Combat Competition, where teams Pirate, Appledog, and more duke it out for a much-prized trophy!

This drama was based on a novel by Mo Bao Fei Bao, and sees the two main characters reprise roles they played in the drama series “Go Go Squid!”

“Go Go Squid 2: Dt, Appledog's Time” is a 2021 drama series that was directed by Yu Zhong Zhong.

Go Go Squid 2: Dt, Appledog's Time

The Puppy Love Team

A new resident at the bustling metropolitan hospital, Mi Ka’s (Sandra Ma) life is far from boring. With a steady stream of patients to see and a variety of training exercises to complete, Mi Ka has little time for anything other than work, but she doesn’t mind. The chance to help people and save lives is all she has ever wanted and she’s happy she has finally found a way to make that dream come true. Ever one to volunteer when a new opportunity to help others arises, Mi Ka joins in a joint emergency rescue training exercise between the hospital and the police SWAT team, a decision that will change her life forever.

When a deadly earthquake shakes the very foundations of the world, Mi Ka is part of the team ordered to the epicenter of the quake to help with rescue operations. Joined by a team of military personnel, including Xing Ke Lei (Bai Jing Ting), a special ops agent who first met Mi Ka through a series of misunderstandings that left them both with a less-than-favorable impression of each other, Mi Ka and her medical team set out on a mission fraught with danger. Despite their initial misgivings, Xing Ke Lei and Mi Ka have no choice but to put aside their differences to help those hit hardest by the recent earthquake. Working side-by-side, their feelings towards each other gradually begin to soften as they observe how tirelessly each works to save lives.

When the nation in which they’re working is thrown into turmoil, Mi Ka and the rest of the medical team find themselves in very real danger. Putting his life on the line, Xing Ke Lei is determined to come to their rescue, but will he be able to get to them in time?

Based on the novel of the same name by Mu Qing Yu, “You Are My Hero” is a 2021 romantic medical military drama directed by Zhang Tong.

You Are My Hero

Youku

In the ultra-competitive world of e-sports, the all-male ZGDX team is second to none. Armies of adoring female fans follow the team wherever it goes. But when one of the team’s star players suffers a hand injury, the tall, handsome, and notoriously hard-to-please ZGDX captain Lu Si Cheng (Xu Kai) will not be rushed into choosing a replacement.

The petite, lollipop-loving Tong Yao (Cheng Xiao), meanwhile, is a budding amateur gamer – obsessed with honing her skills. Her abilities are exceptional, but she is of the firm belief that in the male-dominated world of pro gaming, love is a big no-no – even though her own boyfriend is a gamer. When the ZGDX team manager learns of her skills, he contacts her, thinking that recruiting her as the scene’s first female player will help score a major PR coup. She breaks up with her arrogant boyfriend, who scoffs at her dreams of becoming a pro. And Lu Si Cheng is dismissive of her initially, but eventually agrees to accept her as a trainee – a move that polarizes the team’s fanbase. But as they start to get to know one another better, could a closer bond begin to form between them?

“Falling into Your Smile” is a 2021 Chinese drama series that was based on a novel by Qing Mei and directed by Qiu Zhong Wei.

Falling Into Your Smile

🎮 League of Love Team ❤️

iQIYI

Fu Rong (Ju Jing Yi) is the second daughter of the powerful Fu family. But after a terrible mishap and a painful illness, she is granted the gift of foresight.

Able to look into her own future, she can see great wonders – an unspeakable sadness.

She sees herself marrying a dashing duke named Su Xu Jin (Zhang Zhe Han). But she can also see that a tragic and untimely destiny also awaits her.

She begins to think that her untimely end may be linked to her relationship with the duke, so decides to avoid him at all costs. However, destiny will not be so easily dissuaded: A number of dastardly plots threaten to dethrone the royal family and cast the realm into chaos.

Eventually, Su Xu Jin realizes that the only way she can help bring peace to the land is to join forces with the duke – and attempt to do whatever it takes to change her fortunes!

This series was based on a novel of the same name penned by author Xiao Jia Ren.

“The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion” is a 2020 Chinese drama series that was directed by Kin Lung Lam and Tony.

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion

💞 Blooming Love Team 🌼

A spunky young woman, doing her best to make her dreams come true, Gu An Xin (Zhao Lu Si) never expected her life to be anything other than ordinary. Working as a delivery-woman, An Xin spent her days zipping around the city, completely unaware that her life was about to take an unusual turn. But turn it did, the day she ran, quite literally, into a man by the name of Ling Yue (Liu Te).

The heir of a major corporation, Ling Yue was poised to take over the family business, until an unfortunate accident nearly cost him his life. Severely injured and left for dead, things for Ling Yue couldn’t get much worse. Or so he thought. Dragging himself onto the road, in search of help, Ling Yue ran directly into An Xin, or rather she ran into him. Terrified of what she’d just done, An Xin rushed Ling Yue to the hospital, only to find that not only was he badly injured, but also suffering from a case of amnesia. Unable to leave a memory-less Ling Yue stranded, An Xin invites him into her home, promising to do her best to nurse him back to health.

Polar opposites, An Xing and Ling Yue find living together to be difficult, at best; but time and patience brings about an unexpected change. Drawing ever closer, the two realize their feelings for each other have taken an unexpected turn, at least until Ling Yue’s memories return. Remembering who he is, will Ling Yue and An Xin really be able to find a way to live happily ever after?

Adapted from the web novel, “I Accidentally Picked Up a President” by Chun Feng Yi Du, “Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling” is a 2021 romantic comedy drama directed by Zhong Qing.

Please Feel At Ease Mr. Ling

The Rabbit and Wolf Team

As leader of an elite unit, tasked with protecting the imperial family, Zhou Zi Shu (Zhang Zhe Han) was not a man to be taken lightly. A man of great honor, who commanded much respect, he served the royal family with the utmost loyalty and was rewarded accordingly. However charmed his life may have seemed on the outside, in reality, it was not the life Zi Shu desired. Unsettled within himself, Zi Shu ultimately decides to leave his position in order to pursue his own dreams.&nbsp;

Putting the past behind him, Zi Shu is determined to start anew but even the best laid plans can be waylaid by fate. Not long after setting off to see the world, Zi Shu finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy that rocks the martial arts world. At the same time, he meets Wen Ke Xing (Gong Jun), a mysterious martial artist from the Ghost Valley, who is on a quest to avenge his parents’ death. Brought together by fate, the two become fast friends as they share a series of adventures that leads them ever closer to a legendary treasure that is rumored to give its owner ultimate power over the martial arts world.

Entangled in conspiracies and hunting treasure, Zi Shu and Ke Xing find themselves caught up in an adventure so epic, it could alter the course of history forever.

Adapted from the novel, “Faraway Wanders” by Priest, “Word of Honor” is a 2021 adventure fantasy drama directed by Gary Sing and Jones Ma.

Word of Honor

⚔ Honorable Team ⚔

For Mu Wan Qing (Zhang Jing Yi), 1926 would always be remembered as the year that changed her life forever. After the death of her mother, Wang Qing knew the time to return to China had finally come. Bringing her mother’s ashes home to be buried, Wan Qing returned to the land of her birth, with no idea of what awaited her once she arrived.

Growing up without a father, Wan Qing returned to China determined to reconnect with the man she barely remembered, in the hopes that while she did so, she might be able to discover the real reason why her parents separated all those years ago. But even more pressing than the mystery surrounding her parents' separation was the unspoken story of how the siblings she never really knew, had lost their lives. As Wan Qing begins to uncover the secrets of the past, she finds her path often crossing with those of Tan Xuan Lin (Chen Xing Xu) and Xu Guang Yao (Lin Yan Jun). One the newly appointed leader of insurgent troops and the other the son of a powerful military commander, they stand on opposite sides of the unrest in Shanghai, but they each take a liking to Wan Qing and agree to use their power and influence to help her on her quest. As they do so, the three begin to develop a strong and lasting friendship; a friendship that is soon put to the ultimate test.

Digging deeper into the past, the three friends soon discover that the story of Wan Qing’s family is much more complicated than they could have ever imagined. Working to unravel the mysteries of the past, Wan Qing finds her heart leading her down an unexpected road. Will her journey bring her the answers she seeks or will she find that what she’s been searching for the most has been beside her all along?

A story of family, friendship, and fealty, “Fall in Love” is a 2021 historical romance drama directed by Lin Jian Long and Chen Guo Hua.

Fall in Love

♡ Once Upon in Love ♡

Deep in the heart of Lingnan City, hidden from the eyes of the blissfully unaware, lies a dark and dangerous world, run by powerful drug lords whose insatiable thirst for money and power has destroyed an unfathomable number of lives. Among those consumed by the drug lords’ power was Captain Cheng Ji, a member of the city’s hard-working Anti-Drug Brigade. Desperate to bring down those who would hurt one of her own, Officer Lin Qiang (Lin Peng) agrees to go undercover to infiltrate one of the city’s most powerful drug organizations.

Now successfully hidden deep within the ranks of the Qiu Hu Group, Li Qiang wastes no time in collecting the evidence and information needed to bring the organization down. As part of her mission, she befriends Zhang Xian He (Zheng Ye Cheng), the adopted son of the powerful drug lord and Qiu Hu Group rival, Ma Hong Tao. Working side-by-side, Li Qiang has no trouble using her relationship with Xian He to glean information. But the more they’re together, the more complicated her feelings become. Unfortunately, Li Qiang’s conflicting feelings are the least of her problems once Xian He uncovers her true identity.

With a deadly war between drug lords looming, her cover compromised, and her heart in shambles, Li Qiang’s life hangs by a thread. Poised to take down multiple organizations, Li Qiang willingly risks it all, but will her efforts prove fruitful or futile?

Brimming with danger and suspense, “Stealth Walker” is a 2021 crime drama directed by Hong Ling.

Stealth Walker

🖤 Undercover Love 🤍

Bitten by a wolf while searching for her father, Ling Long (Connie Kang) lives her life as a woman split in two. Constantly switching between her gentle human side and the savage wolf that has awakened within, Ling Long can’t seem to control either side of herself. With both personalities dueling for control, she often comes off as manipulative and subversive, though in reality, she is exactly the opposite. Even so, her warring personalities don’t do her any favors, especially not when an arrogant young aristocrat by the name of Yan Qing (Gu Jia Cheng) catches her in an awkward situation and mistakes her for a thief.

Able to escape Yan Qin’s accusations once, Ling Long finds it much more difficult to do so a second time. Which is why, when a cruel twist of irony brings them together once more, Ling Long takes it upon herself to prove her innocence. Determined to find those responsible for the theft at the Yan manor, in which she now resides, Ling Long begins her own investigation. As she searches, she begins to notice her senses are becoming incredibly keen. But she’s not the only one noticing these changes. With the blood of the wolf clan coursing through his veins, Yan Qing is drawn to Ling Long’s increasingly wolfish tendencies, his curiosity piqued. Unable to resist the urge to get to know this strange girl, Yang Qing offers to help her with the investigation. Despite their rocky start, Ling Long accepts his offer and together they begin their search in earnest. But the deeper they dig, the more they find, eventually uncovering a plot that could shake the very foundations of their world.&nbsp;

Side-by-side, Ling Long and Yan Qing set out to right a multitude of wrongs but uncovered conspiracies aren’t their only problems. With Ling Long’s dangerous wolf side taking over more often Yan Qing must find a way to help before her humanity is lost forever. Can this unlikely pair find a way to stop both the evil running rampant in the world and the darkness that resides within?

Based on the web comic of the same name by Cheng Du Yuan Meng, “The Wolf Princes” is a 2021 fantasy romance drama directed by Danny Ko.

The Wolf Princess

🐺 The Howling Dynasty Team 👑

The daughter of a wealthy family, Zhou Jian Qing (Yan Zhi Chao) was raised like a princess. Never wanting for anything, Jian Qing has lived her entire life with the world at her feet. But when her family falls on hard times, her fairy tale life comes crashing down around her. Now penniless, Jian Qing has no idea where to go or what to do next. Lucky for her, Fate is about to step in, in the most unexpected way.

Following where Fate leads, Jian Qing soon crosses paths with Gu Nan Zhou (Chen Jing Ke), the CEO of a successful company who happens to have a debilitating fear of crowds. Inadvertently entangled with Jian Qing, Nan Zhou finds himself in an awkward position and realizes that the only way either of them will be able to escape the situation unscathed, is to enter a contractual marriage. Despite their less-than-cordial feelings for each other, Jian Qing and Nan Zhou agree this is for the best and soon begin their new life as a married couple.

With their families surprisingly in support of the match, Jian Qing and Nan Zhou find they have no choice but to accept their fate. As they begin to settle into married life they find themselves gradually moving from strangers to friends. After such a rocky start, could this unlikely couple eventually find their way to love?

A lighthearted love story, “Hello Mr. Gu” is a 2021 romantic comedy drama directed by Tian Shao Bo.

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