Top 9 Romantic Chinese Web Dramas in the First Half of 2020

Mainland Chinese web dramas, which are currently on the rise, have offered many new faces an opportunity to gain acting experience and increase their popularity. Most of these web series are largely light-hearted romantic tales starring young and attractive actors.

Here are the following nine Chinese web dramas that broke 1 billion views:

1. You Are My Destiny <你是我的命中注定>

The Chinese remake of classic Taiwanese idol drama, Fated to Love You <命中注定我愛你>, sparked excitement right off the bat with the casting of Liang Jie (梁洁) and Xing Zhao Lin (邢昭林), the beloved on-screen couple from The Eternal Love <双世宠妃> series. Although some viewers stopped watching the drama midway due to a sloppy plot in the second half of the series, the romantic chemistry between the two leads managed to retain a majority of viewership. Yet, this is not what had shocked netizens. In an unexpected turn of events, You Are My Destiny overtook hit rom-com The Romance of the Tiger and Rose <傳聞中的陳芊芊> as first place on the 2020 list of the most viewed web dramas with 2.11 billion total views.

2. The Romance of Tiger and Rose <傳聞中的陳芊芊>

The success of this small-budget drama starring lesser-known actors came as a huge surprise. In its unique way, The Romance of Tiger and Rose managed to cleverly address gender inequality and traditional gender roles with a humorous and heart-fluttering romantic plot. Besides piquing great interest with its refreshing story, the performances of leads Zhao Lusi (赵露思) and Ding Yu Xi (丁禹兮) also received significant praise. Their instant chemistry in their heart-thumping and emotional scenes had viewers invested and praying for a second season, and their popularity also dramatically increased. The total web viewership recorded is 2.1 billion, just right behind You Are My Destiny.

3. Beautiful Time With You <時光與你都很甜>

Coming in third place is the high school romance drama, Beautiful Time With You. It received positive reviews overall for its light and adorable story on young love. Although the audience criticized the leads’ awkward acting and the main actor’s subpar looks, the sweet and cliché romance kept viewers watching. Since Beautiful Time With You aired during winter vacation and the peak of COVID-19, most people had time to watch it at home, and the drama garnered 1.91 billion views.

4. Girlfriend <樓下女友請簽收>

Girlfriend‘s poor girl and rich man romance resulted in 1.9 billion viewers. Despite mixed reviews and the lack of spotlight, the drama was still a success due to its sweet scenes and the romantic chemistry displayed.

5. The Legend of Jin Yan <鳳歸四時歌>

Ranking fifth, The Legend of Jin Yan only acquired 1.38 billion viewers – a drastic drop from the 1.9 billion viewers that Girlfriend achieved. Though the drama was overshadowed by the hotly-discussed The Romance of Tiger and Rose at first, its exposure and popularity gradually increased. The story follows a love rectangle involving a naive and foolish young woman and a hard-headed man. Romantic clichés aside, netizens believe the attractive visuals and yearning sweet love story are enough to keep their attention.

6. Well-Intended Love 2 <奈何BOSS要娶我2>

Last year, Well-Intended Love <奈何BOSS要娶我> became a hot topic among viewers. With great success, the second season was immediately in the works and became highly anticipated by fans. However, the lack of a new and refreshing plot largely disappointed many, as fans were expecting the story from the first series to continue. Still, sweet and romantic scenes helped land the drama in the top nine list with a total viewership of 1.25 billion.

7. Forget You Remember Love <忘記你，記得愛情>

Another remake of Taiwanese drama The Prince Who Turns Into a Frog <王子變青蛙>, the drama received many negative reviews, as viewers complained about the boring storyline, dull male lead, and lack of romantic chemistry. Yet, Forget You Remember Love still quietly raked in 1.24 billion viewers.

8. Well Dominated Love <奈何BOSS又如何>

Based on a web novel, the boss and employee romance drama surprisingly made it on the list even though it broadcasted not long ago. Although the series was poorly reviewed, the 1.19 billion views revealed that there are still people following it.

9. Fake Princess <山寨小萌主>

Light-hearted historical romance Fake Princess achieved considerable results with 1.02 billion viewers. Competing against The Romance of Tiger and Rose, the series lost in all aspects, but still gained adequate reviews.

Source: Beauty321

This article is written by Minna for JayneStars.com.