Looking for a modern Chinese drama to reignite your passion for romance? Here are 5 modern romance Cdramas that bring on the heat. !!Minor Spoilers Ahead!!
1) Fireworks of My Heart
Fireworks of My Heart is a modern romance Cdrama that tells the story of emergency room doctor, Xu Qin (Churan Wang), and her first love, Song Yan (Yang Yang), Captain of Shilitai Fire and Rescue. Teenage sweethearts, Xu Qin broke up with Song Yan due to pressure from her family. Ten years later, when their respective careers bring them face to face, old emotions resurface igniting sparks between them. In addition to the “heat” of romance, this series has its share of fire related emergencies, heart pounding rescues and an abundance of medical crises.
Song Yan is a demanding fire chief who holds his emotions close. Somewhere along the way, Xu Qin, the person who broke his heart, finds her way back in, unleashing Song Yan’s pent-up feelings. Not without her own troubles, Xu Qin has been repeatedly oppressed and manipulated by her domineering mother. As a result, she is afraid of leaving her family for Song Yan unless he takes a step towards her.
Though it can be tempting to fast forward through the painful scenes with Xu Qin’s mother, not a single episode of this series is boring. Be prepared for tears as not everyone makes it to the end. And don’t miss the Shilitai Fire and Rescue theme song, Fireworks on Earth, sung by Wang Heye.
KafeNook Rating: Firework of My Heart – 4.4 sips
- Series Title: Fireworks of My Heart (Chinese: 我的人间烟火)
- Starring: Yang Yang, Wang Churan, Liu Yijun
- Written by: Xu Su
- Directed by: Li Mu Ge
- Network: Weibo, Yuekai Film & Television
- Where to watch in the US: Viki
- Premier Date: July 05, 2023
- # of episodes: 40
2) Reset
If the movies Happy Death Day and Speed were crossed, the result might be something like the Cdrama, Reset. Zho Jinmai portrays Li Shiqing, a student who finds herself caught in a loop – her day on Bus 45 repeating over and over. The “heat” in this modern romance Cdrama starts with the explosion of the bus that happens each loop. Several iterations in, Li Shiqing is joined in the loop by fellow passenger Xiao Heyun (Bai Jingting of The First Frost). With each repetition, the two try to stop the explosion from occurring. Help comes in the form of the police department led by Deputy Captain Zhang Cheng (Liu Yijun). With more resources to investigate the incident, the police unknowingly help the two youths put the pieces together – when they are not accusing them of the crime that is!
The well-paced action in this show keeps viewers on the edge of their seats as the mystery behind the bombing slowly unravels. Each time Li Shiqing and Xiao Heyun die, the stakes are upped. Along the way, people die, only to be “reset” the next iteration. This leaves the question – can Shiqing, Heyun and the police end the loop without suffering any casualties? Reset boasts several standout songs including Rebound by Chen Hui and Wake Up sung by Essay Wang.
KafeNook Rating: Reset – 4.7 sips
- Series Title: Reset (Chinese: 开端)
- Starring: Bai Jingting, Zhao Jinmai
- Written by: Qidaojun
- Directed by: Sun Molong, Liu Hongyuan, Suan
- Network: Tencent Video
- Where to watch in the US: Viki
- Premier Date: January 11, 2022
- # of episodes: 15
3) Falling Into Your Smile
In Falling into Your Smile, Xiao Cheng’s character, Tong Yao, also known as Smiling, becomes the first female player of the popular, all-male Esports team, ZGDX. Captain of the team, Lu Sicheng, aka Chessman (portrayed by Xu Kai), doesn’t cut her any slack. As Smiling weathers the challenges thrown at her, Chessman finds himself not only impressed by her resolve but unexpectedly drawn to his new teammate. Adding to the drama is Smiling’s ex-boyfriend, captain of rival team CK, who wants his former girlfriend back.
The game sequences in this modern romance Cdrama are well done and amp up the heat with each match. This mirrors the growing romantic tension between Smiling and Chessman as the two navigate being teammates amidst their budding feelings. Smiling’s friend, Jinyang (Wang Ruoshan) and her boyfriend Ai Jia (Zhou Yiran of When I Fly Towards You) from team YQCB make an adorable second couple.
Falling into Your Smile features one of the best original Cdrama soundtracks with songs like Running to You by Angela Chang and Chen Zhuoxuan’s Follow the Light. Plus, each Esports team has its own theme song including Heroes (ZGDX team song) by Air League Band, Warrior, sung by members of the Kpop group, Seventeen, and Everytime by NCTs subunit WayV.
KafeNook Rating: Falling into Your Smile – 4.5 sips
- Series Title: Falling into Your Smile (Chinese: 你微笑时很美)
- Starring: Xu Kai, Chang Xiao
- Written by: Jia Chang
- Directed by: Qui Zhongwei
- Network: Tencent, Youku
- Where to watch in the US: Viki, Netflix
- Premier Date: January 23, 2021
- # of episodes: 31
4) Lighter & Princess
Lighter & Princess is smoldering modern romance Cdrama with the classic storyline – bad boy meets good girl. The first episode starts with computer genius Li Xun (Arthur Chen), aka Lighter, being released from prison. When he and Zhu Yun (Jingye Zhang), who Li Xun nicknames Princess, cross paths after his release, animosity boils. Yet it’s clear their story together is far from over. The next episodes flash back to their college days when they first met as computer engineering majors. Besides being the smartest person on campus, Li Xun is arrogant and cocky – a combination that attracts Zhu Yun like bits to bytes. Sweet, clever, and determined Zhu Yun slowly breaks down Li Xun’s defenses until he can no longer ignore his feelings.
Approaching the final college day episodes can be a nail-biting ordeal knowing that Li Xun is destined to end up in jail. After his release, the sparks from their previous time together reignite as Zhu Yun helps Li Xun get back on his feet. Together, they plan to take back the company name “L&P” that they lost to former classmate and rival, Gao Jian Hong (Zhao Zhi Wei).
The soundtrack for Lighter & Princess, featuring both original songs and older hits, is phenomenal. Composer Chen Xueran did a stellar job with the OST and sings several of the best songs such as King and Knight and Upside Down. Other notable songs include Unrequited Love by Young and Those Flowers sung by Pu Shu.
KafeNook Rating: Lighter & Princess – 4.8 sips
- Series Title: Lighter & Princess (Chinese: 点燃我，温暖你 )
- Starring: Arthur Chen (Chen Fei Yu), Jingyi Zhang
- Written by: Zhou Yong, Liu Zi Wei, Liu Yu Chang
- Directed by: Liu Jun Jie, Ma Wei Wei
- Network: Youku
- Where to watch in the US: Viki
- Premier Date: November 3, 2022
- # of episodes: 36
5) You Are My Glory
Combining Esports, Aerospace, and the Entertainment Industry, You are My Glory is not your typical modern romance Cdrama. This beautifully crafted series begins with Qiao Jingjing (Dilraba Dilmurat), a top actress and spokesperson for the Esports game, “King of Glory”, needing to improve her gaming skills in time for an upcoming gaming event. As luck would have it, she ends up playing online with her high school crush, Yu Tu (Yang Yan), an aerospace engineer. Jingjing asks Yu Tu to tutor her and during their time training, emotionally intelligent Jingjing recognizes the sparks between them. But stoic, logical Yu Tu lets his intellect get in the way of his feelings. She is a star – beloved by millions. He dreams of the stars. To him, they live in completely different worlds.
On a break from his government aerospace job, Yu Tu is having his own crises as he ponders leaving the field he loves. After the Esports match, the drama focuses heavily on Yu Tu and his aerospace career, highlighting the space missions he’s involved in. These episodes also represent his internal struggle during this time apart from Jingjing. Though it may feel like a slow period in the series, the time spent with Yu Tu is important for what comes next. Everything pays off when their slow burn romance finally comes to fruition. As the old saying goes – she may have fallen first, but he falls harder. The rest of the drama shows how, despite their very different personalities, they support each other and help one another to become better versions of themselves.
Chen Xueran once again lends his voice to another great original soundtrack song with the sweeping Born to Be the Eagle, while Aska Yang sings the heartfelt, I Just Want to Tell You. The theme song of the series, Fireworks and Stars by Liu Yuning, contains lyrics that perfectly capture Yu Tu’s struggles and his feelings for Jingjing. Check out the lyrics here.
KafeNook Rating: You Are My Glory – 4.8 sips
- Series Title: You Are My Glory (Chinese: 你是我的荣耀)
- Starring: Yang Yang, Dilraba Dilmurat
- Written by: Gu Man
- Directed by: Wang Zhi
- Network: Tencent Video, WeTV
- Where to watch in the US: Viki
- Premier Date: July 26, 2021
- # of episodes: 32
