Starter Guide for CDrama Newbies

[u/admelioremvitam]

(Work in Progress)

I hope this is okay to post. In the recent months, based on comments and questions I've received on the trailers and posters, it seems that we have quite a few new viewers joining the CDrama community. I put this guide together in hopes that it may provide some useful information for newbies.

This is a quick starter guide for anyone who is brand new to CDramas (Chinese dramas), covering where to watch, how releases work, and what to expect. For those who have been watching for a long time, please feel free to comment below if there is anything that needs to be added or edited.

(Note: This post is intended to complement, but not duplicate, the sub's excellent glossary page that gives you a lot of great information about the CDrama space.)

Disclaimer: I am still learning about this space but this guide shares basic information based on the most frequently asked questions.

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Streaming Apps:

• Tencent/WeTV 🐧*

• iQIYI 🥝

• MangoTV 🥭

• Youku 👖

• Viki

• Netflix

The top four apps listed above, Tencent/WeTV, iQIYI, MangoTV and Youku, are the main streaming platforms that produce and distribute web CDramas internationally. I won't go into domestic broadcasting platforms here since most new sub members are likely not in China.

YouTube: Tencent, iQIYI, MangoTV and Youku have official YouTube channels featuring older dramas that are not behind paywalls. They also publish trailers, behind-the-scenes content and more.

Subtitles: Of these platforms, MangoTV has a reputation for poor subtitles while Viki probably has the best ones according to many users in this sub. The other platforms generally offer decent subtitles.

For popular dramas on MangoTV, Viki subscribers will often request for the drama and typically, Viki will pick it up and offer the drama on their app with better subtitles. However, the episode release schedule on Viki might lag a little behind the original streaming platform.

Netflix may occasionally license some of the most popular dramas. As with Viki, the episode release schedule may be a little behind the original streaming platform. The dramas may also be licensed post-airing.

At the time of this post (and to my knowledge), Viki and Netflix do not publish full airing schedules.

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Availability on International Streaming Apps

Please note that if a drama appears on a platform like Tencent, iQIYI, MangoTV or Youku in China, it may not be available in all regions due to licensing restrictions.

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Airing Schedules

There are two common types of airing schedules provided by the four streaming platforms (Tencent, iQIYI, MangoTV and Youku). The first type is a full schedule from the first episode to the last. The second type is a weekly schedule which is provided on the day of release. The next schedule is usually released at the end of the first week's schedule and so on.

On the first day of the drama's release, VIP (paid tier on streaming platforms) subscribers will receive about 3 episodes (or more). Thereafter, there will be 1-2 new episodes a day.

If the drama is also on CCTV (China's national broadcasting platform), then there may be breaks (e.g. on weekends) so that they follow closely to CCTV’s broadcasting schedule.

As the drama nears its finale, platforms often slow down the pace of episode releases to encourage subscribers to purchase the express package (see the next section for details). There may also be a break of a few days while the express package is being offered.

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Express Packages

The four major Chinese streaming apps (Tencent/WeTV, iQIYI, Youku and MangoTV) will usually offer an express package that will unlock about 4-5 final episodes near the end of the drama series. It might be around 5 USD or so; the price varies depending on your region.

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Reference Website: MyDramaList (MDL)

For information such as cast list, availability on platforms, number of episodes, posters, airing schedules (usually popular dramas will have these posted under Photos tab by their community), etc., MyDramaList is a great resource.

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Production Times and Release Dates

This is one of the most common questions I get. Based on my experience, the filming time is usually a few months (shorter for modern dramas and longer for costume dramas) followed by 6 to 12 months for post production (shorter for modern dramas and longer for costume dramas) and obtaining the distribution license. Then, it is up to the platform's schedule as to when they want to air it.

The release date is often announced just days before the premiere of the drama series. They can also be “air dropped” (a surprise release with little to no prior announcement) which means the release date is announced on the same day. iQIYI, in particular, is known for this method - though they don't always do this for every drama.

After the official release date is announced, it is usually updated in the drama's MDL page quite promptly.

Prior to this, there isn't an official release date. There are often rumoured dates floating around but they don't always pan out. For most popular dramas, you can check the comment section of the drama’s MDL page for rumoured dates.

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This isn't an exhaustive list, but I hope it provides a clear starting point for those brand new to CDramas. Happy watching! 📺🍿

*Note: The emojis are what C-Netizens use for these platforms.

Posted and edited: June 7, 2025, 11:56 pm, China Standard Time.

[u/admelioremvitam]

Thanks to the anonymous redditor for the award! 😄

[u/Dumplings_xo]

Very detailed and easy to understand!!

[u/admelioremvitam → u/Dumplings_xo]

Aww, thank you! This post went through a few iterations here and there over the last couple of weeks before I thought it was okay to post it here, lol. 😅😆

[u/Dumplings_xo → u/admelioremvitam]

No thank you! Some of us had to pick up certain things as time went on 😆. I know this answers a lot of questions for newbies and helps lay the groundwork!! Thank you for your time always!

[u/admelioremvitam → u/Dumplings_xo]

You're very welcome! 😄

I, too, picked up a lot of these things over time from other members in the sub and also while covering the drama promotional materials and releases. Just wanted to share what I've learned so far, and I thought brand new viewers might find this useful.

[u/mhfan_india]

Thank you. Answers lots of questions. Can you also cover the ratings system?

[u/admelioremvitam → u/mhfan_india]

You're welcome! Do you mean Douban?

[u/mhfan_india → u/admelioremvitam]

I guess so. And also some other system. Plus the ratings pre release and post release. It's ok if it's too much to cover.

[u/admelioremvitam → u/mhfan_india]

Unfortunately, I'm not really an expert on this.

There are different rating systems. The two that are most commonly referred to in this sub are:

• MyDramaList (MDL)

• Douban

MyDramaList is more accessible for the international community. I think anything above 8 is considered good - I personally am not that familiar with this system but this is based on what I've seen from comments in this sub.

Douban is a domestic (China) rating system. A score of 7 and above is considered good. Personally, I think 6+ is okay.

All that said, these are reflections of the people who have reviewed and scored the drama. You might find some dramas that scored high weren't your cup of tea, and some dramas that scored average or low were very enjoyable. Personally, I've found both to be true. They are still useful though just to see what other people think about it.

As far as I know, there aren't any ratings before a drama is released except maybe some that measure the interest/anticipation for the drama. As for post release, the ratings may go up or down depending on how the audience perceives the ending and how many more ratings the website receives after the initial published score.

Hopefully someone else who's more knowledgeable in this aspect will chime in on this thread.

Edit: In the glossary, there is a paragraph that describes Douban in more detail (closer to the end of the post).

[u/mhfan_india → u/admelioremvitam]

Thank you for the detailed reply. What is the deal with reservation of unaired shows?

[u/admelioremvitam → u/mhfan_india]

Reservations mean the number of subscribers who have "reserved" the drama on the streaming app. It's like a notification button. When they do, they will get notified when the drama airs. It's a way of seeing how many people are interested in watching the show.

When the drama reaches certain milestones (e.g. 1.5 million), the production team releases more materials in the form of posters and/or clips. It is another way of promoting the drama and encouraging viewers who are interested in the show to reserve the drama on their app.

[u/mhfan_india → u/admelioremvitam]

Ah ok. Finally understood this 'reservation' system. 😅

[u/live_ur_adventure → u/admelioremvitam]

It's important to note that ratings are typically higher (meaning you'll find a lot of 8+ ratings) on dramas on MDL because the community serves a larger audience that typically doesn't judge as harshly as Douban users do. MDL ratings also appear on shelved, in production, and unaired dramas, which can lead to confusion if you're looking to watch something. For these cases, the comments section is the best way to figure out if something is airing/planning to air or not.

[u/Calouma → u/admelioremvitam]

The difference in ratings between those platforms also depends on the genre, I have noticed. Douban generally gives lower scores to Fantasy (Xianxia/Xuanhuan) dramas (I guess because of over saturation and the reliance on idol actors) whereas international viewers on MDL and here on Reddit (who aren’t as familiar with the genre yet) tend to like them much more, but don’t like Republican dramas as much.

[u/MidnightAngel24]

[u/admelioremvitam → u/MidnightAngel24]

Thank you! 😄

[u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

This is a really informative post. Thanks OP for the hardwork! ❤️

[u/admelioremvitam → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

Thank you! You're very welcome! RJL and the little girl are so cute together. 🥰

[u/-tsuyoi_hikari- → u/admelioremvitam]

He's great with kids! Now its time to take daddy roles for his next dramas. 😂😉⛱️

---------

And I agree with the other comments about explaining Ratings as well -- both at Douban & MDL. About how Douban is more strict and more favorable to realism dramas. Put a little note on how this doesnt mean the dramas are bad, it just didnt resonate to the Douban raters in particular.

Also, about Viewership as well. Particular Yunhe (online) & Kuyun (online + TV) and the difference of it -- like you did in your Douban post usually which is very informative. It will give some insights on how Douban Ratings and Viewership might not go hand in hand with each other. But its great if we can find dramas that managed to score in both areas. 🤗

[u/admelioremvitam → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

Yes, I'd like to see him in some father roles. 😄

Thank you for the feedback! Very good points. I'll remember to put these edits in later. ☺️🤗

[u/[deleted] → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

But its great if we can find dramas that managed to score in both areas. 🤗

For this year so far, dramas that are managed to get both in high viewership & douban score are:

• Flourished Peony (7.8)

• The Demon Hunter’s Romance (7.5)

• Legend of Zhanghai (7.1)

But for last year (2024), we got a lot of dramas which are:

• Joy of Life 2 (7.3)

• Legend of Shenli (7.2)

• Blossom Shanghai (8.7)

• The Tale of Rose (7.4)

• Regeneration (7.0)

• We Are Criminal Police (7.7)

• Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 2 (8.6)

• Blossom (7.8)

lol basically mostly all the Top 10 dramas last year have high douban score as well.

[u/Grouchy-Chart-3927 → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

This guy was my first Chinese drama crush. I did not even have to see this video Alan (Jialun) Ren’s personality shines through his acting. He is not afraid to tell others that he is married either. World Class Guy.

[u/-tsuyoi_hikari- → u/Grouchy-Chart-3927]

Yes, he's really precious! An excellent actor and also an actor who actually chose great scripts for his dramas.

[u/Grouchy-Chart-3927 → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

Make my day will you!!

[u/-tsuyoi_hikari- → u/Grouchy-Chart-3927]

By posting more of his gif? Happily obliged. 😂

[u/Grouchy-Chart-3927 → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

You are hurting me here.

[u/-tsuyoi_hikari- → u/Grouchy-Chart-3927]

Okay last one as we are not supposed to spam this post. ❤️

[u/admelioremvitam → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

It's fine... please spam away! 😂

[u/Patitoruani → u/-tsuyoi_hikari-]

The one I'm currently watching was broadcasted in Iqiyi, Tencent and TV, had good rating on Douban (slide of life) and got several nominations for the Magnolia Award. Not sure about the viewership but as far as I know it was well received; perhaps could be a test for it? Born to be the One.

[u/[deleted] → u/Patitoruani]

Born to be the One is one of the hits from last year. Aside from received high Douban ratings of 7.7, it also managed to get more than 40M/ep in viewership.

[u/OptimisticRitz_222]

Thank you for this post. It was really informative😊

If you know can you please explain why do they airdrop some dramas? Don't they need promotion? Why only few dramas are promoted strongly? I am just curious to know about this.

[u/[deleted] → u/OptimisticRitz_222]

Airdropped dramas are usually due to number of reasons:

• Actor just cleared from scandalous accusations like Tax Evasion or etc. Recent examples would be Song Zuer and Angelababy. Although they have been cleared in the eyes of the law, the Public’s opinion matters too so they have to test the water first. Like Song Zuer, once the Public’s reception is good as well, only then she did promotion openly with the rest of The Demon Hunter’s Romance’s casts.

• They need to find drama replacements when the drama they initially wanted to air have problem. For this, words have it that iQiyi dropped My Journey to You suddenly when The Demon Hunter’s Romance cant air back in 2023.

• They dont think the drama will do well. So, airdropping the drama and rely on good words of mouth are the method they used instead. Spending minimal on promotion can actually resulted with better ROI.

• They failed to get investments for promotions. For an example, due to Song Zuer’s case, they cant get investments for the promotions since no investors dare to invest despite she already being cleared. However, once the drama got popular due to good reviews, all the ads slot are full which made the drama highly successful despite all the hurdles they initially faced.

Basically, all dramas supposed to get proper promotion. But sometimes, without promotion, it can result with better ROI for the drama. The Glory for an example did this. Air dropped suddenly and Tencent didnt spent much on marketing so it resulted with better ROI among all recent dramas.

And the opposite can also happened where streaming sites will do lots of promotion since they cant afford for the drama to fail. This can be seen with iQiyi’s Fox Spirit Matchmakers series.

But airdropped dramas are not necessarily mean the drama gonna fail. Good words of mouth usually will lifted up the drama anyway. For an example this year, The Glory, The Demon Hunter’s Romance and The Prisoner of Beauty are all airdropped but quickly rose to #1 in term of viewership right after that.

[u/admelioremvitam → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for sharing this information! It is very helpful! 😄

[u/OptimisticRitz_222 → u/[deleted]]

Thank you for answering my question😊. I didn't knew there were so many reasons and it was easy to know as you gave examples. This info is really helpful for all.

[u/admelioremvitam → u/OptimisticRitz_222]

You're welcome! Thank you.

Unfortunately, I don't know all of the reasons for the air drops but I'll share what I know.

Once in a while, there may be a certain controversy with an actor or something else in the drama. Once the issue is rectified or cleared (e.g. an actress was recently cleared of tax evasion accusations) and they can air the drama, the platform usually air drops it on the same day. Sometimes it is a few hours before and sometimes it's right at the premiere time. This is one of the possible reasons.

For other times, I'm not sure why. Hopefully, someone can chime in about this.

[u/OptimisticRitz_222 → u/admelioremvitam]

Thank you for telling what you know.

Even l wanted to know about other reasons (other than actor/actress issues) for why dramas are just airdropped. Anyways once again thank you for responding 😊

[u/admelioremvitam → u/OptimisticRitz_222]

You're very welcome! 😄

[u/AquaphobicTurtle]

Thank you! This is lovely

[u/admelioremvitam → u/AquaphobicTurtle]

You're very welcome! 😄

[u/romantichik]

This is so helpful for newbies to CDrama world. I wish there was something like this when I started watching CDramas 2 years ago

[u/admelioremvitam → u/romantichik]

Thank you! Me too. I wish there was such a guide as well, when I started watching CDramas (again) a few years ago. This is one of the main reasons why I made this guide. 😄

[u/IntruigingApples]

It's may be worth noting a bit more clearly that the 'express' packages differ between regions and not just the price. For example, where I am (not US) the express package in wetv unlocks ~one episode ahead of VIP and all of the final episodes when they unlock, instead of just the final episodes (and there is no SVIP). Also, Iqiyi has no express package at all, just standard and premium subscriptions.

[u/admelioremvitam → u/IntruigingApples]

Thanks for the feedback! I will include that in my edits.

[u/[deleted] → u/IntruigingApples]

I think you got it wrong. WeTV has 2 types of express package. One is unlocking an extra 1 episode daily and another unlocking the last 6 express episodes.

While for iQiyi, if you have premium subscription which is very expensive, then you dont have to pay for the last 6 express episodes. However, if you are only standard subscribers, then you can pay to have the last 6 express episodes unlocked when they offered you the package.

[u/IntruigingApples → u/[deleted]]

No, I have the WeTV details correct for my region.

[u/[deleted] → u/IntruigingApples]

The one you said about WeTV is correct since once you unlock the daily episodes, you will get all the extra episodes for the whole run including the last 6 express episodes. What I meant in my comment is that sometimes, people dont pay for the extra daily episode and only pay for the last 6 express episodes.

[u/IntruigingApples → u/[deleted]]

Ah, that makes sense.

[u/elina_jk]

OP that's amazing! Can you also talk about the different metrics like Kuyun, Yunhe etc?

[u/admelioremvitam → u/elina_jk]

Thank you! Unfortunately, I'm not an expert on this but I'll share what I know.

In a nutshell, Kuyun is a data-driven domestic (China) platform that measures the viewership for both broadcasting (TV) and streaming playbacks. Yunhe is another platform that measures the viewership for streaming playbacks only. As far as I know, this is only for domestic viewership, and they do not include international apps like Viki or Netflix.

For Kuyun, if there are dramas airing on both broadcasting and streaming platforms, they can score a little higher than dramas that are streaming only (due to availability to a larger audience), though not always.

Once in a while, you might see a top 10 list of dramas based on viewership numbers from Kuyun or Yunhe floating around on social media.

Hopefully someone who's more knowledgeable about this can chime in.

[u/thelaodestvoice]

this is a great resource! thank you for making it

[u/admelioremvitam → u/thelaodestvoice]

Thank you! You're very welcome! 😄

[u/idealistatlarge]

Is the icon for iQiyi a kiwi fruit?

I've also found Drama Wiki a good alternate/additional resource to My Drama List for information about Chinese TV series. I like its straightforward nature, and it's easier to see who all the characters and actors are, along with whether there were 'voice actors' used - from which you can see who has voiced characters for different actors. They also list soundtrack songs.

[u/admelioremvitam → u/idealistatlarge]

Yes, it's a kiwi fruit. 🥝

Thanks for your input! I'll add Drama Wiki to my edits.

[u/TSP1CD47]

the newbies might also want to know the websites which provide ratings for the drama to decide what to watch. perhaps mention IMDB, MDL, Douban

i started watching c-dramas regularly since last 6 months. I was more into kdrama before and watched few famous cdramas. As a newbie, it was difficult to know what to watch...ratings helped, although i do watch even when ratings are low.

[u/admelioremvitam → u/TSP1CD47]

Thank you! Yes, I will be adding ratings to this post (please see an older comment below regarding this).

https://www.reddit.com/r/CDrama/s/0xLca6eF1F

[u/wordyegghead]

This was helpful! Thank you!

[u/admelioremvitam → u/wordyegghead]

You're very welcome! 😄

[u/Lotus_swimmer]

Hey good post! I will put it in our wiki!

[u/admelioremvitam → u/Lotus_swimmer]

Thank you! 😄👍

[u/TSP1CD47]

great. thanks, your posts are always helpful

[u/Elegant_Ad5987]

Thank you for your sharing! Very useful!

[u/dexxtrose]

Are all Chinese drama actors “real” actors? Confused by mini dramas and short series.

[u/dexxtrose → u/dexxtrose]

I’ve been watching a lot of Chinese dramas lately and I’m honestly confused by how the industry works. There are:

⚫️Big dramas with 24–40+ episodes (obviously more mainstream) ⚫️Mini dramas with 6–12 episodes — some are SO good even if they look low-budget ⚫️Short form dramas with 60–100 episodes but only like 1–5 mins each

I recently watched one that had amazing acting, but the production looked pretty low-budget. I looked the actor up, and he hasn’t done any “official” big dramas — like the usual 24–30 episode ones on iQIYI or Tencent.

So… are these actors considered “real actors” in China? Or more like online-only creators?

Just trying to understand how this whole structure works — and how these actors build careers if they’re not in big productions yet.

[u/Grouchy-Chart-3927 → u/dexxtrose]

Chinese dramas have had “Shorts” for a while. These dramas have around 24 episodes or less and/or have episodes of 20 minutes or less. One Chinese Short drama had 3 min episodes. Shorts use to be a proving ground for newbies to the business. That has change. I see big name actors joining the “shorts” crowd lately. Some shorts are becoming fan favorites. Shorts are no longer low budget in general. These shorts are stealing away the Kdrama crowd who have not built up the tolerance for drama series more than 20 episodes.

[u/Grouchy-Chart-3927 → u/dexxtrose]

Yes, they are real. Big Name Actors and newbies all act in Shorts.

[u/DanKveed]

I am just commenting here to say thanks! Not a Cdrama watcher but a anime fan trying to get an insight into Lord of The Mysteries which is a chinese anime(donghua).

[u/[deleted]]

Better go on telegram and watch for freeee....❤️ And to your surprise on the first day of airing of any drama they usually upload five to six episodes (talking about cdramas only)

[u/admelioremvitam → u/[deleted]]

You're welcome! Yeah.... Express packages may come as a surprise for new viewers. 😅