UPDATED: JUNE 12, 2024. We are halfway through the year so we will update this post to reflect the updated Douban ratings of the C-drama that premiered this year.
Here's the list of the highest-rated Chinese Drama that premiered in 2024 in Douban. In the top 10 list, we only included the drama with at least 38,000 reviewers to come up with a credible list. Note that this list is for series produced only in mainland China (dramas from Taiwan and Hong Kong are not included).
Douban has more than 500,000 million members and is China's largest and most influential rating platform, so influential that it is where most networks, producers, investors, and journalists get the public's general opinion about a specific drama project.
We will update this list every quarter as more dramas are scheduled to be released in the coming months.
Here are the highest-rated Chinese dramas (from mainland China) in Douban that premiered in 2024 with more than 40,000 reviewers.
1. To The Wonder: 8.9 / Star rating: 5
- Number of reviewers:216,740
- Genre: Cultural Theme
- Number of episodes: 8
- Broadcast Network: iQIYI and CCTV-1
- Main Leads: Yu Shi, Zhou Yiran, and Ma Yili
Based on the award-winning essay collection, My Altay, by Li Juan, To The Wonder tackles cross-cultural issues, gradual enlightenment, and the breathtaking natural beauty of the Altay grasslands in Northern Xinjiang. It is a politically correct tale of multicultural romance and self-discovery.
To Wonder had a world premiere in April at the Cannes International Series Festival in Cannes, France, and was the first Chinese drama to be chosen to compete in the Long Form series at Cannes Series. It follows Li Wenxiu (Zhou Yiran) and her mother, Zhang Fengxia (Ma Yili) who lived in the Altay grassland among the Kazakh nomadic tribe.
Li Wenxiu later met Ba Tai (Yu Shi), a Kazakh herdsman, and together began a story of cross-cultural romance, personal growth, heartaches, and healing. Read our review of To The Wonder.
2. Like a Flowing River: 8.0 / Star rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 62,452
- Genre: Business Life
- Number of episodes: 33
- Broadcast Network: iQIYI, Tencent, and CCTV-8
- Main Leads: Wang Kai, Yang Shuo, Dong Zijian, and Yang Caiyu
This is the third installment of Like a Flowing River and the story still follows the three main characters: Song Yun Hui (Wang Kai), Lei Dong Bao (Yang Shuo), and Yang Xun (Dong Zijian.
In Season 3, the story is set in 1993 and follows the progress of the respective business careers of the three main characters while China began introducing economic reform.
3. War of Faith: 7.8 /Star rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 198,590
- Genre: Republican era/Revolutionary
- Number of episodes: 38
- Broadcast Network: iQIYI and CCTV-8
- Main Leads: Wang Yibo, Li Qin, and Wang Yang
This drama tells the story of Wei Ruolai (Wang Yibo), a financial genius. He began his career as a low-level employee of the Kuomintang Central Bank during the Republican era in China.
He is mentored by the senior advisor of the Central Bank, Shen Tunan (Wang Yang). Under the influence of Shen Tunan's sister and Communist Party member Shen Jinzhen (Li Qin), Wei Ruolai gradually established his communist beliefs and became a loyal financier who took the lead in the party’s financial front.
4. The Great Nobody: 7.8 /Star rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 47,754
- Genre: Costume/Comedy
- Number of episodes: 14
- Broadcast Network: iQIYI
- Main Leads: Tu Dou and Lu Yan
A little panda fairy Ling Ling (Lu Yan) accidentally enters the Flower Neck Mountain and is mistaken for a king. Together with the military strategist Mole Shi, they led the Demon village to become bigger and stronger.
5. Will Love in Spring: 7.7 /Star Rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 88,584
- Genre: Costume/Comedy
- Number of episodes: 21
- Broadcast Network: Tencent, CCTV
- Main Leads: Li Xian and Zhou Yutong
The story follows schoolmates, Chen Mai Dong (Li Xian) and Zhuang Jie (Zhou Yutong), and the many challenges they went through in life. While Zhuang Jie, who had her right leg amputated due to an accident, went to the big city to work and find a better life, Chen Mai Dong remained in their hometown.
When they meet again, Zhuang Jie has changed from a depressed teen to a carefree and confident woman. Mai Dong became a funeral embalmer. Through constant struggles, they gradually understand and respect each other, healing each other’s “imperfections” with love.
6. Fortune Writer: 7.5 / Star Rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 40,184
- Genre: Costume/Mystery/Fantasy
- Number of episodes: 24
- Broadcast Network: Tencent
- Main Leads: Li Muchen and Ye Shengjia
Su Yun Qi (Li Muchen), the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister, accidentally discovers that she is the supporting female villain in the novel, and her tragic ending is recorded in the "Book of Fate" and cannot be changed. Su Yun Qi is unwilling to accept her fate. She wants to use the "Book of Fate" to change her destiny and rewrite her life.
7. Legend of Shen Li: 7.2 /Star Rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 283,134
- Genre: Costume/Fantasy
- Number of episodes: 39
- Broadcast Network: Tencent, Hunan TV, Mango TV
- Main Leads: Zhao Liying and Lin Gengxin
The story follows Shen Li (Zhao Liying), who was in the immortal realm. Pressured into a political marriage, she chose to fight for her freedom. Shen Li reverts to her original form after sustaining injuries and falls into the human realm as a phoenix. She was sold as a plucked chicken at a local human market to Xing Yun (Lin Gengxin) and brought home.
Xing Yun is actually Xingzhi, the last god in ancient times who is responsible for guarding the outer world to protect the peace of the world. Two people who also shoulder heavy responsibilities make difficult choices between love and responsibility.
8. Joy of Life Season 2: 7.2 /Star Rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 238,349
- Genre: Costume/Historical
- Number of episodes: 36
- Broadcast Network: Tencent
- Main Leads: Zhang Ruoyun, Li Qin, Chen Daoming, Wu Gang
Season 2 fell short of emulating the scores of the first season (7.9 and rated by more than 1 million users), most of the reviewers' comments are on how the screenplay is crafted for the second season and the direction of the plot. They said the quality of the script needed to have depth as in the first season.
The story is a continuation of season 1, Fan Xian (played by Zhang Ruoyun) leads the delegation back on the way. The second prince threatens Fan Xian with the safety of Fei Jie, Fan Sizhe, and the orphans of the Teng family, forcing him to submit to him, and the conflict between the two is triggered. The mystery of the Baoyue Tower and the crisis of the Spring Examination that Fan Xian faces are all traps carefully set for Fan Xian by the second prince.
Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er get married as they wish. Then, Fan Xian takes over the inner treasury but finds that the inner treasury is heavily in debt. Fan Xian refuses the help of the chief shopkeeper of Qing Yu Tang and decides to solve the inner treasury crisis with his own strength. Fan Xian invites all the merchants in the city to gather in Cangshan Mountain. It raises more than 20 million silver taels by selling "treasury debts", solving the problem of the inner treasury being empty.
9. Love Endures 7.2 /Star Rating: 4
- Number of reviewers: 144,085
- Genre: Modern Romance
- Number of episodes: 32
- Broadcast Network: Youku, Jiangsu TV
- Main Leads: Yang Zi and Fan Chengcheng
Huang Ying Zi (Yang Zi) and Jiang Yi (Fan Chengcheng) grew up together as good friends. They promised to be together for the rest of their lives but were forced to abandon their promise because of an incident in the year of their Gaokao College Entrance Examination.
They met again more than a decade later during the wedding of their best friend, slowly unfolding the memories of their youth. Only then did they realize that the feelings that had sprouted when they were teens had never disappeared.
10. Always on the Move 7.2 /Star Rating: 4
- Number of reviewers:69,568
- Genre: Period/Railway Police
- Number of episodes: 39
- Broadcast Network: iQIYI, CCTV-1
- Main Leads: Bai Jingting and Ding Yongdai
It tells the story of a young policeman, Wang Xin (Bai Jingting), and his mentor, a railway police veteran, Ma Kui (Ding Yongdai), and their hilarious mentor-disciple relationship as they often clashed in principles. From initial dislike to mutual respect, Wang Xin and Ma Kui fought side by side on the front line of railway public security.
11. Blossoms in Adversity: 7.1 /Star rating: 4 stars
- Number of Reviewers: 48,269
- Genre: Costume/Historical
- Number of episodes: 40
- Broadcast Network: Youku
- Main Leads: Zhang Jingyi and Hu Yitian
The noble Hua family was suddenly confiscated and exiled, leaving all the women and children nowhere to go. The eldest daughter Hua Zhi (played by Zhang Jingyi) no longer pretends to be stupid and hides her incompetence.
She leads the women to perform the "Noble Lady Transformation", stumbling and escaping from hunger, cold, and crisis. She also transforms the frightened Seventh House Envoy Gu Yanxi (played by Hu Yitian) into a beloved boyfriend "Mr. Yan". With quarrels and warmth along the way, Hua Zhi also grows from a poor lady to the head of the family, heading towards a shining new life.
12. Regeneration: 7.0 /Star rating: 3 stars
- Number of Reviewers: 136,122
- Genre: Suspense Thriller
- Number of episodes: 10
- Broadcast network: Youku
- Main Leads: Jing Boran and Zhou Yiran
Fei Ke (Jing Boran) is a con artist who tricked and scammed several people he met. One day, five of them were invited to attend his memorial service. But when they arrived on the island, they found out that Fei Ke was not yet dead. They began sharing a story about how they knew Fei Ke. It turned out that each of them had a different recollection of Fei Ke's personality.
13. The Double: 6.9 /Star Rating: 4 stars
- The airing is on-going as of today, June 12
- Number of reviewers: 48,138
- Genre: Costume/Suspense
- Number of episodes: 40
- Broadcast Network: Youku
- Main Leads: Wu Jinyan and Wang Xingyue
The story follows Xue Fang Fei (Wu Jinyan), the daughter of a well-off county magistrate who lost everything after a major upheaval. She was saved by Jiang Li (Yang Chaoyue), the daughter of the Secretariat Director.
Xue Fang Fei took the identity of Jiang Li and returned to the capital. With the help of Duke Xiao Heng (Wang Xingyue) and others, she overcame numerous hardships, tirelessly fought against injustice, rescued her father, who had been wrongly imprisoned, assisted Xiao Heng in upholding justice, and protected the common people.
Ratings of other C-Drama that premiered this year (below 40,000 reviewers in Douban):
- Heroes: 8.1 from 18,710 reviewers. Main Leads: Qin Junjie, Liu Yuning, Huang Mengyi
- Angels Fall Sometimes: 7.9 from 10,913 reviewers. Main Leads: Lin Yi and Li Landi
- Born To Run: 7.5 from 39,137 reviewers. Main Leads: Elaine Zhong, Xu Di, Chen Xiaoyi, and Yang Chaoyue
- Tender Light: 7.4 from 30,119 reviewers. Main Leads: Tong Yao and Zhang Xincheng
- My Boss: 7.0 from 36,859 reviewers. Main Leads: Chen Xingxu and Zhang Ruonan
- White Cat Legend: 6.9 from 33,254 reviewers. Main Leads: Ding Yuxi, Zhou Qi
- Amidst a Snowstorm of Love: 6.5 from 122,793 reviewers. Main Leads: Wu Lei and Zhao Jinmai
- Sword and Fairy (Chinese Paladin remake): 6.4 from 17,989 reviewers. Main Leads: He Yu and Yang Yutong
- In the name of the Brother: 6.3 from 82,447 reviewers. Main Leads: Qin Hao and Yang Mi
- Burning Flames: 6.3 from 37,080 reviewers. Main Leads: Ren Jialun and Xing Fei
- Best Choice Ever: 6.2 from 140,314 reviewers. Main Leads: Yang Zi and Xu Kai
- Tell No One: 6.2 from 19,008 reviewers. Main Leads: Ou Hao and Li Yitong
- Everyone Loves Me: 6.0 from 24,693 reviewers. Main Leads: Zhou Ye and Lin Yi
- Fox Spirit Matchmaker: 5.6 from 88,816 reviewers. Main Leads: Yang Mi, Gong Jun
- Judge Dee's Mystery: 5.4 from 43,451 reviewers. Main Lead: Zhou Yiwei
- In Blossom: 5.2 from 97,017 reviewers. Main Leads: Ju Jingyi and Liu Xueyi
- Sword and Fairy 6: 5.0 from 47,241 reviewers. Main Leads: Xu Kai and Esther Yu
- Sword and Fairy 4: 4.4 from 65,701 reviewers. Main Leads: Ju Jingyi and Cheng Zheyuan
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