The 6 Best Chinese Palace Dramas

What are Palace Dramas in China?

The stories in Chinese palace dramas are made up, but they are set in real historical times. They sometimes use real people as characters, but most of the time, the stories are made up. Think of “The Crown,” but imagine it was set in China and was even more made up. Learn mandarin chinese

In these stories from the past, the emperor, his harem and concubines, and the court are often at the center of love, politics, and power struggles in the palace.

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The 6 Best Chinese Palace Dramas

The Empresses in the Palace

Genre: political

The success of Empresses in the Palace () in 2011 really sparked the popularity of this type of show in China. Since then, the number of palace dramas in China has grown by leaps and bounds.

The series follows a young, kind woman who is sent to the palace to marry the Emperor. She survives the harem’s betrayals and becomes the Empress Dowager. A sweet, naive girl becomes a cunning, manipulative woman in this soap opera-like story.

The Royal Love of Ruyi in the Palace

Genre: political, romance

Empresses in the Palace is followed by Ruyi’s Royal Love in the Palace (), but the two books have different plots.

The story shows how step-empress Ruyi and Emperor QianLong’s relationship changed over time, from childhood friends to lovers to their last days together. The story shows how hard it is for a woman to deal with palace politics and intrigues while also trying to live her life.

Story of Yanxi Palace

Genre: political, romance

The Story of Yanxi Palace () is about a young palace maid named YingLuo who wants to find out what happened to her sister. Even though she is surrounded by court drama, she meets the good empress, who teaches her how to behave and how to forgive and be kind. People who are struggling to follow their dreams are encouraged by YingLuo’s bravery, wit, and intelligence.

Scarlet Heart

Genre: romance, time travel

Scarlet Heart () could be for you if you like stories with more romance. It tells beautiful love stories that tug at your heart that happen in the middle of court drama.

Zhang Xiao is a young woman from the 21st century. After a car accident, she goes back in time to the Qing Dynasty. She gets caught up in the fight for the throne between nine princes and falls in love with one of them.

Nirvana in Fire

Genre: political

Nirvana in Fire () is the story of Mei Chang Su, whose family was wrongly accused of treason and killed, forcing him to fight for justice for 12 years. Unlike most Chinese heroes, his adventure has less to do with fighting and more to do with political manoeuvring. It’s a story about friendship, loyalty, and making sacrifices.

Some people have said that Nirvana in Fire is the Chinese version of Game of Thrones because it has themes of betrayal, plots, revenge, and the fight for the throne. Learn mandarin chinese

Princess Agent

Genre: action, romance

Princess Agent () is the first Chinese drama to have more than 40 billion online views. In the story, a slave girl sees rich families fight for power in a bloody way. She has to learn how to fight if she wants to stay alive in a world that is unfair and full of chaos. If you like seeing smart women grow into strong, determined, and self-reliant fighters, you’ll love this one.

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Before you watch these Chinese Palace Dramas, you should learn some Mandarin

Mandarin is an interesting and useful language. It’s also very connected to Chinese culture, which makes it a great choice for learning through cultural activities. So, if you can, go to a Taiwanese night market or celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year or other events when you can.

Check out the learn Mandarin programme at learnlanguages.store if you’re looking for a way to start. It teaches you Mandarin step by step by using real-world conversations and language.

Use learnlanguages.store to start learning Mandarin Chinese today.