Big Male Costume Chinese Drama Expected to Air in 2025

There are five big male-costume Chinese dramas expected to air in 2025. Big male means these dramas are male-centric, the story focuses on the male character and no romance, if ever there is, only minimal and is not the focus of the whole story. 

Have not watched a male-centric costume Chinese drama since Mysterious Lotus Casebook in 2023, so I am looking forward to these five exciting series. Hopefully, there is enough spacing in the broadcast so that our drama viewing will not be chaotic. 

Here are the five male-centric costume series in 2025, arranged alphabetically. Which one are you most excited about?

Cheng Yi as Xiao Mingming/Xiao Qiushui/Li Chenzhou

1. Go To The Mountains and Sea (iQIYI and Tencent). Main Lead: Cheng Yi, co-starred with Gulinazha and many more. This is a wuxia drama and what made this exciting is the fact that Cheng Yi will play three characters and each character has his own personality. So it's exciting to see him play such big roles.

Adapted from a wuxia novel, Shen Zhou Qi Xia by Wen Rui An, the drama tells the story of Xiao Ming Ming (Cheng Yi), a laid-back individual who loves reading martial arts novels. Through the perspective of the novel's protagonist, Xiao Qiu Shui (also played by Cheng Yi), he embarks on a journey through the martial arts world, evolving from a young, impulsive swordsman with limited skills into a great hero driven by loyalty and a sense of duty. Xiao Qiu Shui has a rival in the martial arts world. a highly skilled martial artist, Li Chenzhou (also played by Cheng Yi).

Gong Jun in Tales of Dark River 

2. Tales of Dark River (Youku). Main Leads: Gong Jun and Chang Huasen, costarring with them is Peng Xiaoran. This drama talks about assassins in the martial arts world. This is quite familiar to viewers because they are in the same world as The Blood of Youth (2022) and Dashing Youth (2024), in fact, the characters played by Gong Jun and Chang Huasen already appeared in those dramas. 

Excited also to watch Gong Jun in a role that has similar characteristics to his role in Word of Honor, one of the most popular wuxia series in 2021. He excelled in that drama he starred with Zhang Zhehan and many fans are hoping to see him again in that kind of drama. Tales of Dark River might be his redemption in the wuxia genre. 

The Dark River is a secret assassin organization in the martial world formed by the Su, Xie, and Mu families. The leaders are called the Grand Elders.

One day, the Elder was poisoned and the rival families see the opportunity to launch a rebellion.  Su Muyu (Gong Jun), the leader of the Spider Shadow Guard, seeks the help of a divine healer in the medicine valley. On the way, he encounters rival assassins plotting the assassination, including his friend Su Changhe (Chang Huasen).

Yang Yang in The Immortal Ascension 

3. The Immortal Ascension (Youku). Main Lead: Yang Yang, co-starred with Jin Chen. Been waiting for this drama for such a long time! The premiere date keeps moving 😄 From December 2024 to January 2025 to March 2025, and the latest news we heard it will be postponed again to early June 2025, OMG! Why such postponement. 

Many fans are excited to watch this drama because Yang Yang has not starred in a costume drama since Who Rules The World in 2022. He just wrapped up another wuxia drama, Zhan Zhao Adventures but this was not shown until 2026. 

In The Immortal Ascension, Yang Yang plays Han Li, a poor boy from a village who joins a sect and begins his journey in the martial world. He also begins his journey in cultivation for immortality.

4. Shui Long Yin (Hunan TV, Mango TV), also known as Water Dragon Chant, the production has not shared what is the English title of this drama. This is a wuxia/xianxia drama and starred by Luo Yunxi. Co-starring Xiao Shunyao, Ao Ziyi, Fang Yilun, Bao Shang En, Lin Yun, and Sebrina Chen. This drama has guest stars who are popular names: Jeremy Tsui, Chang Huasen, Riley Wang, and Xia Zhiguang. 

Luo Yunxi as Tang Lici

Luo Yunxi looks like will be playing a role again similar to Tantai Jin in Till The End of the Moon! The Water Dragon Chant's story centers around Tang Lici (played by Luo Yunxi), a highly skilled but introverted swordsman as he embarks on martial arts adventures.

With a reputation for being as intelligent as a fox demon, Tang Lici hides his psychopathic nature behind a calm and reassuring demeanor. However, the beating heart buried inside his abdomen suggests he is hiding a deadly secret.

Tang Lici becomes embroiled in jianghu intrigue after the massacre of a clan perpetrated by his former older disciple brother Liu Yan. Under the manipulation of Ghost Peony, the entire martial arts community is once again facing the prospect of extermination. Further, after the revelation of Yinyang master's desire to control Tang Lici's 'heaven and earth in one' body, Tang Lici must come face-to-face with his destiny as the 'chosen sacrifice'.

Xiao Zhan in Zang Hai Biography 

5. Zang Hai Biography (Youku). Main Lead: Xiao Zhan and co-starred by Zhang Jingyi. The story centers on the revenge plan of Zang Hai (Xiao Zhan) over the death of his parents when he was still young (played by Wallace Chung and Michelle Chen). So this is more or less a court conflict, some palace officials' scheming, and political strategy. 

Zhang Jingye is the main female lead but it's not certain if she will become the love interest of Xiao Zhan's character, this drama is a male-focus drama. This is obviously not a wuxia series but hopefully, Xiao Zhan has fight scenes for excitement purposes. 😄 It's a bit boring for a costume drama without an action scene.