10 Best Opening and Ending Theme Songs, Track Collection in Costume C-Dramas

A theme song plays a significant part in the overall appeal of a drama. It helps intensify emotions. It can transform, transcend, and translate a story to the audience in a more fascinating way. 

Theme songs have several purposes for portraying the emotions related to visuals. It leaves a lasting impression on the audience and enhances the dramatic appeal of the storytelling. 

Liu Yuning, a popular C-drama OST performer

Theme songs have a language of their own. It can denote if the dialogue is a sad or happy one, it sends a message when the scene is terrifying, romantic, or intense. 

In Chinese dramas, the most romantic and harmonious theme songs that enthrall the viewers are often in the modern romance genre. The tracks are usually in the pop genre or ballad genre, very contemporary. So it appeals to the young viewers. 

Scarlet Heart (2011) has the best OST collection

However, theme songs of dramas in the costume genre are not usually appealing because most of the notes and melodies are structured to rhyme with the ancient atmosphere, so most of the tracks are hard to appreciate.

But there are some exemptions.

Hu Ge and Yang Mi in Chinese Paladin 3 (2009)

There are costume dramas that have melodious theme songs, so much so that we do not want to escape the intro and the ending credits because these theme songs are so sweet to the ears. 

Here is our compilation of dramas with the best opening and ending theme songs and track selections. These songs set the right mood for the story and elevate the dramatic appeal of the series.

Best Opening Theme Songs:

1. Three Inches of Heaven

• Performer: Yan Yidan (also the composer)
• Drama: Scarlet Heart (2011) 
• Main cast: Liu Shishi and Nicky Wu

2. Like A Song

• Performer: Jason Zhang
• Drama: The Flame's Daughter (2018)
• Main cast: Dilraba Dilmurat and Vic Chou

3. Offer

• Performer: Liu Yuning 
• Drama: A Journey to Love (2023) 
• Main cast: Liu Shishi and Liu Yuning

4. Floating

• Performer: Zhou Shen  
• Drama: Back From The Brink (2023) 
• Main cast: Neo Hou and Zhou Ye

5. Longevity by Mistake

• Performer: Ju Jingyi
• Drama: Beauty of Resilience (2023)
• Main cast: Ju Jingyi and Guo Junchen

6. Meng Hua

• Performer: Liu Yuning
• Drama: A Dream of Splendor (2022)
• Main cast: Chen Xiao and Liu Yifei

7. World Records

• Performer: Zhang Jie
• Drama: Immortal Samsara (2022)
• Main cast: Yang Zi and Cheng Yi

8. Direction of Light

• Performer: Zhang Bichen
• Drama: The Long Ballad (2021) 
• Main cast: Dilraba Dilmurat and Wu Lei

 9. Waiting For You

• Performer: Tia Ray
• Drama: Bloody Romance (2018) 
• Main cast: Li Yitong and Qu Chuxiao

10. Kiss Until The End of Time

• Performer: Hu Ge
• Drama: Xuan Yuan Sword: Scar of Sky (2012)
• Main cast: Hu Ge, Jiang Jinfu, Liu Shishi, and Tiffany Tang

Best ending theme songs:

1. One Persistent Thought

• Performers: Hu Ge and Alan
• Drama: Scarlet Heart (2011)
• Main cast: Liu Shishi and Nicky Wu

2. Poem Form From Ashes

• Performers: Dilraba Dilmurat and Mao Buyi
• Drama: The Flame's Daughter (2018) 
• Main cast: Dilraba Dilmurat and Vic Chou

3. Forget The Time 

• Performer: Hu Ge
• Drama: Chinese Paladin season 3 (2009) 
• Main cast: Hu Ge and Yang Mi

4. Cocoon

• Performer: Zhou Shen
• Drama: The Long Ballad (2021)
• Main cast: Dilraba Dilmurat and Wu Lei

5. Still Looking For You

• Performers: Ju Jingyi and Guo Junchen 
• Drama: Beauty of Resilience (2023) 
• Main cast: Ju Jingyi and Guo Junchen 

6. The World  is Too Hasty

• Performer: Yan Yidan (also the composer)
• Drama: Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023) 
• Main cast: Cheng Yi, Joseph Zeng, and Xiao Shunyao

7. Don't Regret The Time

• Performer: Jane Zhang
• Drama: A Dream of Splendor (2022) 
• Main cast: Chen Xiao and Liu Yifei

9. When Wind Blows

• Performer: Hu Ge 
• Drama: Nirvana in Fire (2015)
• Main cast: Hu Ge and Liu Tao

10. Agarwood

• Performers: Jane Zhang and Zhang Jie
• Drama: Immortal Samsara (2022) 
• Main cast: Yang Zi and Cheng Yi

11. Lover's Curse

• Performers: Ayanga and Yisa Yu
• Drama: Love and Redemption (2020) 
• Main cast: Yuan Bingyan and Cheng Yi

Best tracks in the OST of a drama

The following songs are not the opening and theme songs but are part of the OST collection of the drama. They are so good to hear, melodious, sweet, and warm.

• Aging of Beauty - Performed by Liu Tao for Nirvana in Fire (2015)
• Enlightenment - Performed by Neo Hou for Back From The Brink (2023)
• A Pot of Lotus Wine - Performed by Hu Xia for Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023)
• Sigh of Xiao Yao - Performed by Hu Ge for Chinese Paladin 1 (2005)
• Long Lovesickness - Performed by Yisa Yu for Lost You Forever (2023)
• Forget The River - Performed by Cheng Yi for Immortal Samsara (2022)