Top 10 Highly Anticipated Costume Chinese Drama in 2024

It's the start of another year! Hoping 2024 will be a good year for all of us and hopefully, things go very well for the world in general. But how about our drama viewing?!

Since most of us, and our followers in Asian Drama News, prefer updates/topics about Chinese costume dramas, here, we list down the top 10 costume C-series we are highly anticipating this year!

We still don't know how these dramas work, so we have to base our choices on the following factors: 

• Script/Screenplay
• Technical teams such as the scriptwriters and directors
• The capacity of the main leads to carry the drama

Based on the above criteria, here is our top 10 list of the highly-anticipated costume Chinese drama from mainland China in 2024! Hopefully, they won't disappoint us:

1. Hero Legends - Subgenre: Wuxia/Martial Arts

Main cast: Cheng Yi, Xiao Shunyao, Wang Qian Yuan, Zheng Yecheng, Liu Yunlong, and Li Yi Tong. Directed by Vincent Yang who directed Legend of Fuyao and Royal Nirvana. This is our highly-anticipated costume C-drama this year since this is based on a classic wuxia novel, Hero Chronicles by Sun Xiao.

Cheng Yi 

What made Hero Legends totally interesting is the fact that China's national broadcaster, CCTV, and the country's biggest streaming platform, Tencent, co-produced this drama, pouring a big budget of around 300million RMB to revive the classic wuxia genre, which is slowly eroding due to the current trend of romantic stories in costume dramas.

So, just like Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Hero Legends is not a romance-centric drama, oh thank God!!! This is more on the adventure of martial arts heroes and skilled fighters.

The story unfolds from a mysterious parchment scroll, in which a group of influential figures go through twists and turns and bizarre fates, and finally realize their ideal ambition to serve the country.

2. Joy of Life Season 2 - Subgenre: Wuxia/Historical

Main cast: Zhang Ruoyun, Wu Gang, Li Qin, Chen Daoming, and Tian Yu. It has a strong supporting cast lineup: Mao Xiaotong, Jin Chen, Wang Churan, and Song Yi! Directed by Sun Hao, who also directed the season 1.

Li Qin and Zhang Ruoyun

Season 2 picks up where Season 1 left as Fan Xian (Zhang Ruoyun) enters the palace service. Recalling season 1, we learned that Fan Xian was born in the ancient Southern Qing empire but with memories of the 21st century. 

He was raised as the illegitimate son of the Minister of Finance, raised by his grandmother. His mother, Ye Qing Mei, was once a celebrated inventor and the founder of the Overwatch Department, the country's spy network.

However, Ye Qing Mei was killed shortly after Fan Xian was born. Fan Xian has since been protected by a blind martial arts expert, Wu Zhu, his mother's bodyguard. He learned martial arts and the art of poison as a child, also assisted by his knowledge from the 21st century.

After an assassination attempt, he decided to venture into the capital to find out more about his mysterious mother and why anyone would want to kill him. 

In the capital, he accidentally met Lin Wan Er (Li Qin), the sickly illegitimate daughter of the Princess Royal, and fell in love with her. 

Unknown to him, she was the woman the emperor chose for him to marry so that he would be the new overseer of the Royal Treasury, an institute Fan Xian's mother established in the palace and currently handled by the Princess Royal.

In the capital, however, he got entangled in the intrigues of the Emperor and the two Princes, as well as the Overwatch Department, leading to him questioning his whole identity and inducing him to find his true life goals, abandoning his original intention to just "enjoy life".

3. Legend of Shen Li - Subgenre: Xianxia

Main cast: Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin. Director: Deng Ke who previously directed My Heroic Husband (2021) and When We Were Young (2018).

The fact that Zhao Liying produced this drama, the story might be super interesting. Hopefully, after the long wait, this will be aired this year. This drama also reunited her with her The Princess Agents co-star, Lin Gengxin.

This is a story about deities and rebirth. Shen Li (Zhao Liying) fell to the mortal world badly injured and was returned to her old form of phoenix, she will be rescued by Xing Zhi, who is actually the last immortal God left in the world.

4. A Moment But Forever - Subgenre: Xianxia

Main cast: Tiffany Tang and Liu Xueyi. The story follows a heavenly maiden sent to the mortal world to kill the leader of the fox clan to retrieve a heavenly artifact. But had a change of heart when she discovered that the leader was not what the heavenly realm had perceived him.

Both Tiffany Tang and Liu Xueyi are good performers (not to mention that they came from China's top acting school - the Central Academy of Drama) and always deliver good acting performances, the fact that this is a xianxia drama, adds excitement.

Tiffany Tang has been acting in many costume dramas in the past, but "A Moment But Forever" is actually the first time that she is taking a main female lead role in a xianxia genre.

5. Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Yuehong - Subgenre: Xianxia

Main cast: Yang Mi and Gong Jun. This is the first installment of the drama adaptation of the popular Chinese manhua: Fox Spirit Matchmaker, which is divided into three parts (different main characters but they are connected). 

We always love the premise of a xianxia drama about a Taoist warrior/disciple and a spirit because it means there are tons of fight scenes and beautiful sceneries. 

Not a fan with the acting skill of Gong Jun due to his lackluster facial expression. It seems he needed more years of acting experience to polish his craft, but because Fox Spirit Matchmaker's script is interesting, the Yuehong chapter might be exciting, anyway. 

6. Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Zhu Ye - Subgenre: Xianxia

Main cast: Liu Shishi and Leon Zhang. This is the second installment of the Fox Spirit Matchmaker drama adaptation. Based on the trailer released by iQiyi, the scene where Liu Shishi and Leon Zhang (Zhang Yunlong) having a fight scene is jaw-dropping, so we are in it!

The supporting cast members of this drama are also pretty interesting as some of them are already taking main lead roles in other dramas. The Zhu Ye chapter seems to have more fight scenes than the Yuehong chapter.

7. Dashing Youth - Subgenre: Wuxia

Main cast: Neo Hou, He Yu, Hu Lian Xin, Xia Zhiguang, and Jiang Zhenyu. This is a prequel to The Blood of Youth (which we heard will have season 2) so we are expecting a highly entertaining martial arts drama. Dashing Youth is also not romance-centric which is good!

Hate it when a martial arts drama is told in the backdrop of romance because it will surely mess up and divert from the wuxia arc. Hopefully, Dashing Youth will center its screenplay on the martial arts world.

We always love a classic martial arts drama that revolves around the martial arts sect, the brotherhood between martial artists, and how to restore justice and peace in the community, just like in Mysterious Lotus Casebook and The Blood of Youth.

8. Love of the Divine Tree - Subgenre: Xianxia

Main cast: Deng Wei and Julia Xiang. This is a typical xianxia trope where the immortals will be reborn in the mortal world to undergo trials, the spiritual seal, the demonic cultivator, and the eternal love that binds them all! 

Deng Wei 

Sounds like the same premise in most costume fantasy series we have seen over and over again. But we still like it! 

Love of the Divine Tree is more interesting as director Yin Tao and scriptwriter Liu Fang collaborated again for this drama. 

Yin Tao and Liu Fang worked together in The Glory of Tang Dynasty and Love and Redemption which catapulted Ren Jialun and Cheng Yi respectively to fame, so we are confident this will bring out the best in Deng Wei also. Liu Fang also wrote the script of Mysterious Lotus Casebook. 

Deng Wei is one actor we admired since his debut in Miss The Dragon. He is someone who can outshine the main male lead in the drama with his great acting talent. 

9. Snowy Nights - Subgenre: Xianxia

Main cast: Joseph Zeng and Li Qin. This is another story of a martial arts hero doing righteousness in Jianghu. But the mission of Joseph Zeng's character here is interesting as he will go through life and death, trying to secure a miracle cure of his friend's child and fighting for love.

It's full of action with so many events unfolding around the lead characters. Been watching Joseph Zeng in other Wuxia series and he is such a great actor! He can act, he can do martial arts, he can do comedy roles and highly emotional drama. Li Qin is also a great actress! 

One of the directors is Ren Haitao who directed the fight scenes in Immortal Samsara and Mysterious Lotus Casebook so Snowy Nights is truly an exciting costume drama to watch this year (perhaps late this year since they are still filming).

10. The Immortal Ascension - Subgenre: Martial arts/Xianxia

Main cast: Yang Yang and Jin Chen. The script sounds interesting - An ordinary boy from a village who joins a minor sect in Jiang Hu and becomes an Unofficial Disciple by chance. This premise of a mortal man cultivating to become immortal sounds intriguing and interesting, seems like there's a mystery surrounding his personality and existence that we need to discover.

Yang Yang and Jin Chen in The Immortal Ascension

Yang Yang plays Han Li, an ordinary human embroiled in conflicts with demons and heavenly beings on his journey to cultivation. Jin Chen plays the role of Nan Gonwan, Han Li’s companion on his path to immortality. This is Yang Yang and Jin Chen's second drama collaboration after You Are My Glory (2021).

Runners-Up:

• Lost You Forever part 2. Main cast: same as part 1
• Guardian of the Dafeng. Main cast: Dylan Wang and Tian Xiwei
• Story of Mystics. Main cast: Neo Hou and Chen Duling
• Legend of Rosy Clouds. Main cast: Li Yitong, Joseph Zeng, and Deng Wei
• Everlasting Longing. Main cast: Song Weilong and Angelababy
• Dawn of the Book of Heaven. Main cast: Li Hongyi and Su Xiaotong
• Burning Flames. Main cast: Ren Jialun and Xing Fei

The following costume C-dramas are also on our drama watchlist but considering the long process of getting the drama approved in China by the censor board, they might secure an airing date in 2025:

• Nirvana in Fire season 3 (the waiting period for this drama to air feels like forever haha!)
• Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Wang Quan. Main cast: Cheng Yi and Li Yitong
• The Blood of Youth season 2: Main cast: same as in season 1
• Kill Me, Love Me. Main cast: Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan 
• Offering Fish. Main cast: Arthur Chen and Wang Yinglu
• Flourished Peony. Main cast: Yang Zi and Li Xian
• Legend of the Hidden Sea. Main cast: Xiao Zhan and Zhang Jingyi

For other Costume C-Drama waiting for release this year or in 2025, you may check this related article: Drama Watchlist: 33 Costume C-Drama Expected to be released in 2024 and 2025