20 Highest-Rated Chinese Series of all Time in Douban. See Our Comprehensive List

Here's our comprehensive list of the 20 highest-rated Chinese series of all time based on their rating in Douban, China's most influential drama rating platform. 

If you want to know more about Douban and why it is called China's most reliable media review platform, read the background of this platform HERE.

To come up with a credible list, we only included a drama rated by more than 60,000 reviewers for a more reliable result. 

In the case of similar ratings, the drama rated by the most number of users will be prioritized. This list is sorted out from Douban's database under TV Drama high score priority. 

Top 20 highest-rated Chinese series of all time:

1. Ming Dynasty 1566 (2007) - 9.8 rated by 232,096 reviewers. Genre: Costume/Historical Episode: 46 Main cast: Chen Baoguo, Huang Zhizhong, Wang Qingxiang. 

Plot Summary: This is the story of Emperor Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty and Hai Rui, a Chinese scholar and court official of the Ming Empire. 

At that time, China's economy and culture became prosperous. However, the social contradictions were prominent, and the State implemented the plan of land annexation. 

A large number of peasants have lost their land. A traitor Yan Song caused dissatisfaction among local officials. Therefore, the activities to overthrow Yan Song broke out, and the palace fell into intrigue and struggle. 

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 89.5%
• 4 stars 9.1%
• 3 stars 1.1%
• 2 stars 0.1%
• 1 star 0.2%

2. Journey to the West (1986) - 9.7 rated by 327,880 reviewers. Genre: Costume/Fantasy Episode: 25 Main cast:  Zhang Jin Lai as Sun Wu Kong, Xu Shao Hua, and Lu Zhong.

Plot Summary: The story follows the adventures of Sun Wu Kong, an immortal rhesus macaque demon who gains extraordinary power from long years of spiritual cultivation and rebels against the primacy of heaven.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 85.7%
• 4 stars 12.2%
• 3 stars 1.8%
• 2 stars 0.1%
• 1 star 0.2%

3. A Dream of Red Mansions (1987) - 9.7 rated by 251,112 reviewers. Genre: Costume/Historical Romance episode: 36 Main cast: Chen Xiaoxu, Deng Jie, Zhang Li, and Ouyang Fenqiang.

Plot Summary: Based on the classic novel: Dream of the Red Chamber, this series follows the story of the everyday events and declining fortunes of the Jia family, a wealthy feudal clan. 

At its heart is the tragic love triangle between cousins Jia Bao Yu, Lin Dai Yu, and Xue Bao Chai, and a fate long decided before this existence.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 87.4%
• 4 stars 10.7%
• 3 stars 1.5%
• 2 stars 0.2%
• 1 star 0.2%

4. Moral Peanuts season 3 (2015) - 9.7 rated by 102,054 reviewers. Genre: Crime/Suspense Episode: 10 Main Cast: Yang Yu, Shao Zhuang, An Ning, Xing Dongdong, Wang Xiao Yi, and Li Wei 

Plot Summary: They are con artists with high IQ. Armed with detailed plans, they locked in their subject carefully and set a trap for them to be caught. 

They are like a mirror that reflects every layer of society. Some things might not be seen with our eyes, but we have heard about it. This is their story, the future legend. 

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 88.8%
• 4 stars 8.5%
• 3 stars 1.7%
• 2 stars 0.3%
• 1 star 0.7%

5. Martial Arts Rumors (2006) - 9.6 rated by 556,065 reviewers. Genre: Costume/Martial Arts/Comedy episode: 80 Main Cast: Yan Ni, Yao Chen, Sha Yi, Yu Entai, Jiang Chao

Plot Summary: This is a light-hearted martial arts comedy about a group of lively young people with different personalities who gathered in the Tongfu Inn and performed classic martial arts. They gradually grew up with the audience amidst laughter and tears.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 83.6%
• 4 stars 13.8%
• 3 stars 2.2%
• 2 stars 0.2%
• 1 star 0.2%

6. Romance of The Three Kingdoms (1994) - 9.6 rated by 143,191 users. Genre: Costume/Historical/Wuxia Episode: 84 Main Cast: Tang Guoqiang / Bao Guoan / Sun Yanjun / Lu Shuming / Li Jingfei.

Plot Summary: Set during the 2nd century when ancient China was in great turmoil due to rebellion, the story follows three distinct generals, Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian who were picked to protect the Han empire against the rebellion led by the Yellow Turban group. 

Concerned for their capital in Luoyang and for the Han empire's survival, the Imperial Court immediately constructed an "alliance" by requesting volunteers across the country to settle the rebellion. Together with their own officers, the Yellow Turban rebellion was quickly laid to rest.

 Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 82.1%
• 4 stars 15.0%
• 3 stars 2.5%
• 2 stars 0.2%
• 1 star 0.2%

7. My Chief and My Regiment (2009) - 9.6 rated by 151,042 users. Genre: Republican era/war. Episode: 43 Main Cast:  Duan Yihong / Zhang Yi / Zhang Guoqiang / Xing Jiadong / Li Chen

Plot Summary: The story follows the Chinese National Revolutionary Army Expeditionary Forces who travel to Burma. They supported the British allied forces fighting the Imperial Japanese Army during the 1942 Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road at the Second Sino-Japanese War.  

The aim is to protect the road that serves as an important supply route after China's ports fell under Japanese control. 

When the British forces withdrew their support and surrendered, part of the remaining Chinese troops were forced to abandon their heavy equipment and retreat in loose formations through the harsh Burmese jungles, experiencing constant enemy pursue and ambush. 

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 82.9%
• 4 stars 13.2%
• 3 stars 3.0%
• 2 stars 0.5%
• 1 star 0.4%

8. Towards the Republic (2003) - 9.6 rated by 94,237 users. Genre: Historical/War episode: 60. Main cast:  Wang Bing / Lu Zhong / Ma Shaohua / Sun Chun / Li Guangjie. 

Plot Summary: The series is based on events that occurred in China in the late 19th century and early 20th century when the Qing Dynasty collapsed and was replaced by the Republic of China. It narrates historical events, including the private lives of key political figures such as Li Hongzhang, the Guangxu Emperor, Yuan Shikai and Sun Yat-sen. 

There are monarchists, reformers and revolutionaries who provide different answers to addressing the deteriorating situation of the Qing dynasty but all these answers point towards a common goal – to restore China as a sovereign, international, and independent power.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 85.9%
• 4 stars 11.4%
• 3 stars 1.6%
• 2 stars 0.3%
• 1 star 0.8%

9. Soldier Assault (2006) - 9.5 rated by 222,911 users. Genre: Military Episode: 30. Main Cast. Wang Baoqiang / Chen Sicheng / Duan Yihong / Zhang Yi / Xing Jiadong. 

Plot Summary: A story of soldiers and how they were recruited to join the People's Liberation Army. It's all about military life and their bravery. Wang Baoqiang plays Xu Sanduo, a shy village boy who was forced to quit school and drafted into the People's Liberation Army by his alcoholic father, to toughen him up.

Chen Sicheng plays CHENG Cai, a boy from the same village as Sanduo, a childhood bully but a very talented soldier. He joins the army with Sanduo and goes to Section 7 of the 7th Company, where he is trained as a marksman. Xing Jiadong plays Wu Liuyi, the second-in-command of Section 3. Zhang Yi  plays SHI Jin, the commander of Section 3, who drafted Sanduo into the boot camp.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 78.3%
• 4 stars 18.2%
• 3 stars 3.0%
• 2 stars 0.3%
• 1 star 0.3%

10. Drawing Sword (2005) - 9.5 rated by 246,589 users. Genre: Republican era/War episode: 30 Main cast: Li Youbin / He Zhengjun / Zhang Guangbei / Tong Lei / Sun Li. 

Plot Summary: The film is based on Du Liang's "Bright Sword", which tells a historical event in the background of China's modern history, from the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Second Nationalist-Communist Civil War to the Korean War. 

In such a time span, it shows a group of army generals under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party led by Li Yunlong who fought bloodily and made outstanding war achievements. The film was made after the end of the Communist Civil War by Li Yunlong, who praised the merits of the National Army on the frontal battlefield and affirmed the anti-Japanese merits of the Chinese Nationalist Party.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 78.4%
• 4 stars 18.1%
• 3 stars 2.9%
• 2 stars 0.3%
• 1 star 0.3%

11. Moral Peanuts Season 2 (2011) - 9.5 rated by 70,650 users. Genre: Suspense/Crime episode: 14 Main cast: Yang Yu / An Ning / Xing Dongdong / Li Wei / Shao Zhuang. 

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 79.6%
• 4 stars 16.8%
• 3 stars 2.6%
• 2 stars 0.4%
• 1 star 0.6%

Plot Summary: Moral Peanuts season 2 is a continuation of events from season 1

12. The Long Season (2023) - 9.4 rated by more than 830,000 users. Genre: Crime/Suspense. Episode: 12. Main cast: Fan Wei, Qin Hao, and Chen Minghao. 

Plot Summary: This is the highest-rated series in Douban in 2023. People from mainland China were captivated by the unique storytelling of this drama where the big picture was kept under wrap and woven seamlessly inside the brilliant plot twists. 

This is just cleverly made and you can sense some Hollywood vibe here the way the style of retelling is crafted. Everything is so unpredictable you cannot simply blink otherwise you will miss the crucial part.

This crime-suspense drama follows Wang Xiang (Fan Wei), a middle-aged train driver who had worked his whole life at a steel plant in a fictional small town in North China. He attempts to solve the mystery behind a brutal murder during the autumn of 1998, including the death of his son. 

For more than 20 years, the murder has haunted him and other people who worked at the steel plant as they struggled to come to terms with the loss they’ve experienced.

In particular, The Long Season’s portrayal of familial relationships, ruminations on fate, and overarching message to “move on, don’t look back” resonated deeply with the show’s fans.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 75.8%
• 4 stars 20.4%
• 3 stars 3.3%
• 2 stars 0.4%
• 1 star 0.2%

13. Nirvana in Fire (2015) - 9.4 rated by 790,726 users. Genre: Costume/Wuxia/Historical war. Episode: 52. Main cast:  Hu Ge / Liu Tao / Wang Kai / Chen Long

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 77.3%
• 4 stars 18.4%
• 3 stars 3.0%
• 2 stars 0.5%
• 1 star 0.8%

Plot Summary: In 6th-century China, the Emperor of Great Liang orders the unjust execution of his brother-in-law Marshal Lin Xie alongside the Lin family, his 70,000 army soldiers, and Crown Prince Qi. Secretly surviving the massacre is Lin Xie's son, Lin Shu (Hu Ge), who undergoes medical treatment that changes his appearance entirely and leaves him in a weakened state, unable to ever perform martial arts again. Lin Shu changed his name to Mei Chang Su and later became the chief of the martial arts world and established the Jiangzuo Alliance.

Twelve years later, Mei Chang Su returns to the capital with a secret plan after being sought by Prince Yu and Prince Xian during their fight for the throne. He decides to covertly assist Prince Jing, the unfavored son of the Emperor and wisely rids the court of all scheming officials.

14. Empresses in the Palace (2011) - 9.4 rated by 693,981 users. Genre: Costume/Historical episode: 76 Main cast:  Sun Li / Chen Jianbin / Ada Choi / Li Dongxue / Jiang Xin. 

Plot Summary: Also known as The Legend of Zhen Huan, Empresses in the Palace tells the story of the imperial Harem or the concubines of the Yongzheng Emperor of the Qing dynasty. The Empress Dowager organizes a selection to bring newer members into the Imperial Harem. 

Despite not wanting to be selected, the titular Zhenhuan, then known as Lady Huan Zhen (Sun Li), is forced to join the selection and ends up being chosen due to her resemblance to Empress Chunyuan. She joins the Imperial Harem alongside her childhood best friend Meizhuang Shen, and low-born lady Lingrong An.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 74.3%
• 4 stars 21.7%
• 3 stars 3.2%
• 2 stars 0.3%
• 1 star 0.5%

15. Romance of Our Parents (2014) - 9.4 rated by 353,912 users. Genre: Family/Romance Episode: 44 Main cast:  Guo Tao / Mei Ting / Liu Lin / Ren Shuai / Liu Yiju. 

Plot Summary: The story is set during China's cultural revolution. A heartwarming love story of an older naval officer, Jiang De Fu, and a young woman whom he later fell in love with. Due to the poor family status of the young woman, the whole family was repeatedly helped by Jiang De Fu. The woman gradually discovered that Jiang De Fu, who looked rough, was actually a witty and lovely man.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 77.4%
• 4 stars 18.9%
• 3 stars 2.9%
• 2 stars 0.4%
• 1 star 0.4%

16. Lurk (2009) - 9.4 rated by 253,508 users. Genre: Republican era/War. Episode: 30. Main cast:  Sun Honglei / Yao Chen / Shen Aojun / Zu Feng.

The story takes place after the Japanese surrender in World War II and a Chinese civil war breaks out. An underground worker for the Communist Party, Yu Zecheng (Sun Honglei), is an undetected spy within the Kuomintang (KMT) secret service. 

He has to keep his distance from his true love, Zuo Lan, in order to conceal his real identity and agrees to marry Wang Cuiping (Yao Chen), a quick-tempered but straightforward guerrilla fighter from the countryside. 

The two collaborate closely to help their organization obtain important information from the KMT that's valuable to the Communist Party. Despite their marriage's false beginning, they eventually grow to love each other.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 75.7%
• 4 stars 21.4%
• 3 stars 2.6%
• 2 stars 0.2%
• 1 star 0.2%

17. The Grand Mansion Gate (2001) - 9.4 rated by 171,385 users. Genre: Historical/War. Episode: 40 Main cast: : Siqin Gaowa / Liu Peiqi / Chen Baoguo / Jiang Wenli / Zhang Fengyi. 

In 1880 during the 6th year of the Guangxu period of the Qing dynasty, Bai Jingqi (played by Chen Baoguo) was born into the Baicao Hall, a prominent merchant family in Beijing. 

The first season chronicles the lives of Bai Jingqi's predecessors in the late Qing and early Republic of China before focusing on Bai Jingqi when he becomes the new family patriarch. The subsequent season details his later life after the Second Sino-Japanese War through to the establishment of the People's Republic of China.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 73.5%
• 4 stars 22.3%
• 3 stars 3.6%
• 2 stars 0.3%
• 1 star 0.3%

18. Yongzheng Dynasty (1999) - 9.4 rated by 97,772 users. Genre: Costume/Historical Episode: 44 Main cast:  Tang Guoqiang / Jiao Huang / Wang Huichun / Du Yulu / Xu Min. 

Plot Summary: The series was adapted from Eryue He's historical novels, which are loosely based on historical events in the reigns of the Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911). 

The series roughly covers Chinese history from 1705, some 15 years prior to the Yongzheng Emperor's accession to the throne, to the emperor's death in 1735. About one-third of the content is devoted to the struggle among the Kangxi Emperor's sons for the succession to their father's throne.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 73.5%
• 4 stars 22.4%
• 3 stars 3.5%
• 2 stars 0.3%
• 1 star 0.3%

19. I Love My Family (1993) - 9.4 rated by 99,285 users. Genre: Family/Comedy. Episode: 120 Main cast:  Wen Xingyu / Song Dandan / Yang Lixin / Liang Tian / Guan Ling. 

This is a Chinese sitcom and often regarded as the first Mandarin-language sitcom ever produced, I Love My Family depicts the life of a Beijing family of six people from the '90, their neighbors, friends, and relatives.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 75.7%
• 4 stars 18.8%
• 3 stars 4.9%
• 2 stars 0.4%
• 1 star 0.2%

20. Age of Awakening (2021) - 9.3 rated by 481,334 users. Genre: Historical/Republican era Episode: 43 Main cast: Yu Hewei / Zhang Tong / Zhang Wanyi / Ma Qiyue / Ma Shaohua

Plot Summary: The story centers on the protests against the Treaty of Versailles back in 1919, and follows Li Dazhao (Zhang Tong), Chen Duxiu (Yu Hewei), and Hu She (Zhugang Riyao). From their first time meeting each other through their journeys and differences in beliefs that chronicle the founding of the Communist Party of China.

Breakdown of rating:

• 5 stars 75.3%
• 4 stars 19.3%
• 3 stars 3.7%
• 2 stars 0.9%
• 1 star 0.8%

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