Fast-paced and addictive, microdramas have dominated Chinese short video platforms since 2018. Episodes are cut into easily consumable segments ranging from 1 to 15 minutes, with upwards of 100 episodes per show. The mobile-first format departs from traditional dramas and embraces overly cliché plots that rely heavily on character tropes. Intricate plot developments or hidden subtexts are rarely seen, and the stories have low stakes and require little mental energy from the audience.
Common microdrama themes include falling in love after an abrupt “flash marriage,” time travel reincarnation, and unknowingly marrying a wealthy CEO. Corny, tacky, and brain rot-worthy are frequently used as compliments in this field. Microdramas are filled with what Chinese netizens call “dog blood” scenarios (gǒu xiě 狗血; cliché, melodramatic, and highly exaggerated), which are applauded by its growing viewership.
From forbidden romances to revenge thrillers, RADII brings to you a recent list of the hottest Chinese microdrama titles.
闪婚后，傅先生马甲藏不住了 Our Flash Marriage: Mr. Fu’s Secret Identity (2023)
Mr. Fu’s Secret Identity, like most on this list, is a vertical microdrama — tailored to be watched on the phone, unlike the traditional “horizontal” format of TV dramas. In it, college dropout Meng Ning mistakes Mr. Fu for her blind date partner and impulsively marries him. She doesn’t know that Mr. Fu is a wealthy CEO. Mr. Fu is tired of gold diggers, and he does everything in his power to hide his wealth. Through misunderstandings and compromises, they fall in love and discover that they may have already crossed paths many years ago.
Mr. Fu’s Secret Identity is a lighthearted microdrama starring Xu Yizhen as Meng Ning and Sun Yue as Mr. Fu. Applauded for their electrifying on-screen chemistry, the power duo has starred in 12 microdramas together, with tropes ranging from soul swaps to the classic CEO romance.
Douban rating: 6.6*
Full episodes are available on Kuaishou.
* Douban is a popular Chinese social media site and online database that lets users rate and share opinions about books, movies, and music, similar in function to IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
裴总每天都想父凭子贵 Unexpected Knot: My Husband is a Tycoon (2024)
Lighthearted and endlessly funny, Unexpected Knot: My Husband is a Tycoon is an iQiyi vertical original produced by Heard Island, an emerging microdrama production company. One Bilibili uploader comments that this is the type of drama where, “you know the plot is ridiculous, but you want to keep watching to see how much more ridiculous it can get.”
Pregnant after a drunken one-night stand, Lin Jiajia (Xu Mengyuan) gives birth to twins who immediately pass away. Five years later, she meets the wealthy Mr. Pei (He Congrui) and his adorable twin children, who take a liking to Jiajia. The story follows the classic trope of a flash marriage to a CEO: Mr. Pei is the richest man in the city, and hilarity ensues as he tries to hide his wealth and identity. As their bond grows, Jiajia begins to wonder if the kids are actually her biological children.
Douban rating: 6.7
Full episodes are available on the DramaBox app with English translation.
引她入室 May All Women Be Free (2024)
Another thriller produced by Heard Island, May All Women Be Free tells the story of Zheng Qi (Zhao Jia), who discovers that her husband (Cao Tiankai) is cheating on her with a younger woman, Bei Pianpian (Deng Lingshu). Meanwhile, he also squanders every cent from their joint bank account without Zheng Qi’s knowledge. As such, she hires Ma Hongli (Guo Tingting), who pretends to be a wealthy older lady, to lure the husband into another affair, thus exposing to Bei Pianpian that he’s a chronic cheater. Together, the three women plot to take back the money that belongs to Zheng Qi.
Rated one of the best guilty pleasures of 2024 and applauded for its strong female characters, May All Women Be Free rejects the stereotype of “wife versus mistress” and focuses on a girls-helping-girls story, where both the wife and mistress are victims who eventually stand up for themselves. Zheng Qi says, “My enemy has never been another woman, but the man who shares my bed.”
Unrated on Douban
Full episodes are available on Kuaishou and WeTV.
好一个乖乖女 Rules Were Never Her Thing (2025)
Released during the Chinese New Year holiday, Rules Were Never Her Thing became the first hit vertical microdrama of 2025, adapted from a web novel of the same name. An instant audience favorite, the title climbed to the top 4 on Weibo’s trending topics. Lead actors Ke Chun and Yu Yin gained more than 500,000 Weibo followers just two days after the microdrama’s premiere.
Rules Were Never Her Thing tells the story of Lu Mingyu, an orphan abused by her uncle’s family for years. But underneath her obedience and “good girl” persona is a resilient and cunning young woman who is ready to seek revenge. Mingyu crosses paths with Duan Xiuming, the young scion of a wealthy family who discovers her true nature and falls in love with her. He becomes Mingyu’s white knight in shining armor, a ray of sunlight, and someone she can always rely on.
Unrated on Douban
Full episodes are available on YouTube and the DramaBox app with English translations.
被谢医生拒绝加好友99次 Rejected by Doctor Xie 99 Times (2024)
.
Rejected by Doctor Xie 99 Times brings a sweet and fluffy romance without any “dog blood” tropes. One RedNote user comments, “I watched so many microdramas, finally found a normal one. No time travel, no one is drugged, no hidden identities…they’re like a real-life couple who fell in love.”
Dance instructor Song Zhiyi (Hou Chengyue) falls in love with her dermatologist Xie Yingyan (Zhang Jijun) at first sight. She repeatedly asks for his WeChat, only to be rejected over and over again — but Zhiyi is determined to grab his attention. By chance, she discovers that Doctor Xie is also her student’s uncle, and they finally get to know each other. Zhiyi is determined to make the doctor fall in love with her, too.
Unrated on Douban.
Available on WeTV.
招惹 Provoke (2023)
Provoke is an adaptation from Yin Di’s romance web novel of the same title. It is a horizontal microdrama with a slightly longer runtime, at 13 minutes per episode. It streams exclusively on Tencent, and is directed by the up-and-coming filmmaker Zeng Qingjie, known for his aesthetically pleasing cinematography and the recent drama hit, Blossom.
The love story of Provoke is set in early-20th-century Shanghai. Young showgirl Jiang Ying (Li Muchen) marries a wealthy businessman as part of her plan to avenge her dead family. Her new stepson, Du Xunyu (Zhao Yiqin), soon discovers her secret. But Xunyu has a secret of his own: he’s not the businessman’s real son. Bound by their deception, the pair uncover the truth behind the murder of Jiang Ying’s family and find love along the way.
Microdramas have always been more daring when it comes to forbidden romances, and Provoke successfully captured an audience with its clever use of the xiǎo mā wén xué trope (小妈文学; “stepmom literature”). A theme commonly found in web novels, “stepmom literature,” is when the male protagonist’s dad marries a young woman, but she ends up falling in love with her stepson instead.
Douban rating: 7.0
Full episodes are available on YouTube with English translations.
虚颜 A Familiar Stranger (2022)
A Familiar Stranger is another horizontal microdrama by the filmmaker Zeng Qingjie. The Mango TV original is led by rising actors Cheng Lei as Xiao Hansheng, and Ke Ying as Shi Qi. (Cheng Lei has starred in two recent fan-favorite dramas, My Journey to You and Fangs of Fortune.)
This costume drama tells the story of Shiqi, a kind-hearted painter drawn into court drama. Against her will, Shiqi magically swaps identities with an evil princess. Now trapped inside the body of the princess, Shi Qi marries General Xiao Hansheng, who immediately realizes that his wife’s personality seems different. He suspects that she is actually Shiqi, a girl who saved his life many years ago.
Douban rating: 7.4
Full episodes are available on Rakuten Viki and iQiyi with English translations.
我回到十七岁的理由 Back to Seventeen (2023)
Back to Seventeen stars singer-actor Fang Xiaodong in his horizontal microdrama debut, along with rising actress Zhang Miaoyi, who starred in the 2023 romance, When I Fly Towards You. It’s a coming-of-age romance following the 27-year-old Zhong Xiaoxiao, who is transported back to her high school days.
Xiaoxiao discovers that her timeline jumps to the next day whenever she is physically away from her crush, Xu Yang. To stop herself from missing time, Xiaoxiao tries her best to stick by him. As their story unfolds, Xiaoxiao and Xu Yang embark on a journey of self-discovery and young love.
Douban rating: 7.4
Full episodes are available on YouTube with English translations.
东栏雪 Donglan Snow (2023)
Donglan Snow is a horizontal microdrama written and directed by Zhi Zhu, known for her powerful visuals, fast-paced narratives, and beautiful depictions of lesbian romance. Zhi Zhu began her career uploading short films on Bilibili, amassing over a million followers on the video streaming site. She directed one of 2023’s most popular historical dramas, An Ancient Love Song, which garnered a high Douban rating of 8.6.
Zhi Zhu has a knack for writing dominant female and submissive male relationship dynamics, and Donglan Snow is no different. It follows the story of Shen Yan (Qi Xiaxia), a ruthless palace maid who doubles as an advisor and bodyguard for Prince Chu Ningyuan (Jin Chao). The prince harbors feelings for his protector, but Shen Yan’s only goal is to put him on the throne. Will his unwavering devotion eventually melt her icy heart?
Douban rating: 7.3
Full episodes are available on YouTube with English translations.
侍酒令 Order of the Sommelier (2022)
Different from all others on this list, Order of the Sommelier is a horizontal period fantasy featuring two male leads. Adapted from the manhua Yao Guai Jiu Guan (妖怪酒馆) by Mu Ba, it stars singer-actor Yu Yanlong as Baiqi, and Taiwanese actor Kenji Chen as Fu Yu.
Bai Qi is the owner of Demon Tavern, which serves magical drinks that transport his guests into a host dream realm that reflects their unresolved obsessions. In this fantasy realm, Bai Qi becomes a white dragon, and sommelier Fu Yu, a demon hunter. Together they help patrons reconcile with their past.
With a new storyline every few episodes, the pair joins troubled patrons on their journey to closure. At the same time, Bai Qi and Fu Yu’s reluctant partnership blossoms into an inseparable bond.
Douban rating: 7.3
Full episodes are available on Rakuten Viki and YouTube with English translations.
Posters and edited cover image via Douban.
