So I decided one day to start a list of my favorite wuxia of all time and ended up scouring over 20 years of good stuff. For my next list, I will be looking at the best Chinese period dramas in 2014.
Help spread the c-drama love by turning this into a group effort. If you would like to contribute your thoughts on a certain drama, contact us with a short writeup and we can include it directly in the post below.
My Rating: Must Watch (5/5)
Title：Romance of the Condor Heroes / Shen Diao Xia Lv / 神鵰俠侶
Episodes and Genre: 52, Romance Wuxia
Broadcast Period: 2014-2015, Hunan TV
Starring:
Chen Xiao as Yang Guo
Synopsis:
The is a coming-of-age story about Yang Guo, a mischievous anti-hero who defies social limits by fighting for his relationship with Xiao Long Nu and proving himself the true embodiment of a legendary hero.
(武媚娘传奇破3 meaning TV ratings higher than 3%, the highest rated in 2015)
My Rating: Must Watch (5/5)
Title：The Empress of China / Wu Mei Niang Chuan Qi / 武媚娘传奇
Episodes and Genre: 80, Historical
Broadcast Period: 2014-2015 Hunan TV
Starring:
Fan Bing Bing as Wu Mei Niang
Wu Mei Niang rises against all odds to become the one and only Empress of China.
I definitely recommend watching this if you are into palace dramas where there are political plots left and right as well as an endless struggle for the throne. Perhaps the saying bad publicity is good publicity rings true as I actually became more intrigued when Empress of China made the news for censorship issues. Its low cut necklines have been promptly edited out but I guess I can live with that.
Sound of the Desert
My Rating: Must Watch (5/5)
Title：Sound of the Desert / Ballad of the Desert / Da Mo Yao / Feng Zhong Qi Yuan / 大漠谣 / 风中奇缘 / 星月传奇
Episodes and Genre: 35, Romance
Broadcast Period: Oct 2014
Starring:
Liu Shi Shi as Xin Yue
Eddie Peng as Wei Wu Ji
Hu Ge as Mo Xun
Synopsis:
Xin Yue is ethnically Han Chinese but she is raised in the desert with a pack of wolves for company. She is bold, daring and intelligent and she meets Wei Wu Ji and Mo Xun on separate encounters. She eventually decides to rejoin society and she finds herself crossing paths with both men once again.
Comments:
Its beautiful cinematography bears the Tangren signature. Include a charismatic cast, a solid script and a moving romance and you’d fall head over heels for it too.
Virtuous Queen of Han – a ratings powerhouse, means off the chart viewership during its broadcast
Title: Virtuous Queen of Han / Da Han Xian Hou Wei Zi Fu / 大汉贤后卫子夫
Episodes and Genre: 47, Historical
Broadcast Period: August 2014 Anhui TV, Zhejiang TV and Dragon TV
Starring:
Wang Luo Dan as Wei Zi Fu
Raymond Lam as Emperor of Han
Synopsis:
Wei Zi Fu is a songstress who rises up the ranks to become the virtuous queen of the Han Dynasty.
Sword of Legends – a ratings powerhouse
My Rating: Pretty Good (4/5)
Title：Sword of Legends / Legend of the Ancient Sword / Gu Jian Qi Tan / 古剑奇谭
Episodes and Genre: 50, Action Romance / Fantasy
Broadcast Period: July 2014 Hunan TV
Starring:
Li Yi Feng as Baili Tusu / Han Yun Xi
Yang Mi as Feng Qing Xue
Synopsis:
The Nu Wa Clan are the protectors guarding the demon within the Sword of Legends. On the day of the sealing ritual, masked assassins attack their village. Han Yun Xi is the son of the chieftain and she seals the demon inside his body to save his life.
Years later, Yun Xi goes by the name Baili Tu Su. However, he is feared and ostracized for being a monster. Constantly plagued by his demons, Tu Su has to exercise immense discipline and rely on his innate goodness to overcome evil.
Comments:
I was emotionally invested in Baili Tusu’s struggle as he tries so desperately to hang on to his sanity and I wanted more of that especially given such a promising start. Unfortunately, the drama drags on once Tusu leaves Tian Yong Cheng and I find myself skipping episodes.
First, the drama ventures into side stories that I don’t care about. Second, Tusu loses control and faints so much that I’ve lost count. Third, Tusu becomes annoyingly callous towards Qing Xue, and their often one-sided relationship is not one that I enjoyed, and yet he is still a very beloved character in his own right.
Regardless, the good outweighs the bad that it remains to be one of my personal favorites.
Gong 3 – a ratings powerhouse
Is it a must-watch, pretty good, just another drama, tolerable or downright boring?
My Rating: Tolerable (2/5)
Title：Gong 3 The Lost Daughter / Gong Suo Lian Cheng / 宫锁连城
Episodes and Genre: 45, Romance Drama
Broadcast Period: Apr 2014
Starring:
Yuan Shan Shan as Lian Cheng
Lu Yi as Heng Tai
Synopsis:
Lian Cheng comes from a wealthy family but she is given away by her mother in exchange for a baby boy. However, she meets and falls in love with the same boy who took her identity. What ensues is a complicated gut-wrenching drama where Lian Cheng endures all kinds of humiliation both physical and emotional in the name of love.
Comments:
Yu Zheng capitalizes on the fame of the Gong franchise to make Gong 3 though it isn’t related to its predecessors. In fact, the plot feels like a copy of an old drama I used to watch called Mei Hua San Nong (梅花三弄之梅花烙) but instead, Yu Zheng turns the entire story on its head with literal switcheroos that leave me speechless.
The funny thing is that ratings remained high such that it’s become a joke that the people watching are cursing at it too.
Perfect Couple
Is it a must-watch, pretty good, just another drama, tolerable or downright boring?
Title：Perfect Couple / Jin Yu Liang Yuan / 金玉良缘
Episodes and Genre: 45, Historical, Romance Comedy
Broadcast Period: Apr 2014
Starring:
Wallace Huo as Jin Yuan Bao
Tiffany Tang Yan Yu Qi Ling
Synopsis:
During the Ming Dynasty, Jin Yuan Bao is the successor of a prominent family and he marries female martial artist Yu Qi Ling after an arranged marriage turned wedding mishap.
Is it a must-watch, pretty good, just another drama, tolerable or downright boring?
Title: The Investiture of the Gods / Feng Shen Ying Xiong Bang / 封神英雄榜
Episodes and Genre: 50, Fantasy
Broadcast Period: Jan 2014
Starring:
Sammul Chan as Jiang Zi Ya
Viann Zhang Xinyu Su Da Ji / Fox Demon
Synopsis:
Jiang Zi Ya is a kind-hearted man who gains the favor of the Heavenly Senior. However, his sworn brother Shen Gong Bao schemes to kill Zi Ya out of jealousy. Given that their paths have diverged, Shen Gong Bao wreaks havoc with the fox demon by his side while Zi Ya must rally a group of heroes to fight for the sake of peace. The story continues in Investiture of the Gods 2.
Also check out the best Chinese period dramas from 1993 – 2013 and 2015.
Unknown
Aw no Romance of the Condor Heroes? xD
Anne J
oops I had put it under the 2015 list.. i should move it back to 2014 hehe
of course it's on the list:) one of my fave wuxia.. have seen most of the recent adaptations on it.
Moha
Umm where can I watch these dramas?
Anne J
Hi – you can try the websites on here. https://www.dramapanda.com/2015/08/where-can-i-watch.html