Continuing with my short introductory series of "Why I like...", Today's post is all about "Why I like Chinese Dramas." I am one of those people who love to consume content so I will try anything and everything which is why I have favorite dramas from every country and like dramas for different reasons, depending on the country they are from (not going to lie, some will overlap for me with every country).
"WHY I LIKE CHINESE DRAMAS"
1) HANDSOME ACTORS/BEAUTIFUL ACTRESSES. As I said in my "Why I like Kdramas" post, you can't deny that these actors and actresses are nice to look at. COME ON WE ARE ALL HUMAN! This will probably be a reason on ALL my posts in this series because there are so many good-looking people in these dramas (I can't lie). You put one of my favorite Chinese actors in a suit, I will click play because of that one screenshot or put one of my favorite Chinese actresses in a GORGEOUS costume piece, I will check out that drama!
2)THE EPICNESS/THE SCALE. One thing that Chinese dramas are known for is THE SHEER SCALE OF SOME OF THEIR DRAMAS! Some of these dramas take years to make and shoot, so to see it play out on my screen, you can see HOW BIG THE PRODUCTION IS ON SOME OF THESE DRAMAS! The scale is always MIND BLOWING when it comes to their historical and fantasy dramas. No other country can compare to them, in my opinion. China has such a rich history and culture to pull from for their dramas, the scale of them always seems EPIC to me.
3) FANTASY. Fantasy is my favorite genre of Chinese dramas. I love how epic the story can be and how FANTASTIC the story is. I love all the magic in Chinese Fantasy dramas. I think Fantasy dramas being how they are in Chinese dramas makes the stakes of the story SO MUCH HIGHER because the main leads (if it is a romantic drama) have to go through so many trials to be together at the end. I love all of the magical characters and lore when it comes to Fantasy Chinese dramas as well. Who doesn't like a good monster in their drama or good winning over evil? The fight/action scenes are always entertaining and fun to watch. I just find the Fantasy genre of Chinese dramas so fun to watch!
4)COSTUMES. I love the fantasy/historical dramas from China because of the costumes. The costumes are breathtaking and so beautiful! EVEN THE DRAMA POSTERS ALONE ARE GORGEOUS! The costumes are just so detailed and must take HOURS AND HOURS to make. The costumes are a work of art! Whether the costume is from a historical drama with palaces or a historical drama in the Republican era, the costumes are just SOMETHING ELSE!
5) CINEMATOGRAPHY. Probably due to what I said above about cdramas be EPIC in scale, this statement carries over to the Cinematography as well. Some of these Chinese dramas I watch are just breathtaking when it comes to cinematography. I watch a scene and just exclaim HOW DID THEY SHOOT THIS?! I sometimes just rewind a scene, trying to answer that question. I especially admire battle and fight scenes when it comes to the cinematography. It always amazing to me how these scenes are shot and are pulled off. As I watch Chinese dramas, I just notice some choices that the drama made to shoot a scene that I find interesting and beautiful and I just pause the drama and admire what is on my screen. China makes A LOT of dramas every year...LIKE A LOT! I find when it comes to good cinematography, it isn't always the EPIC AND BIG PRODUCTIONS that produce AMAZING cinematography either but the small cdramas that fly under the radar...it all depends on who is making the drama and the artistic choices they make. A big example of this is ANCIENT DETECTIVE from this year...THAT HAS SOME GORGEOUS SCENES IN IT and some unique camera angle choices.
6) THE LOVE STORIES. Chinese dramas are always big in scale and comes to their love stories as well. Now since my favorite genre is fantasy, I am partial to that when it comes to love stories but even in modern dramas, the big in scale can pertain to them as well. Chinese dramas are notorious for lots of episodes in their dramas and putting their couples through the ringer to get their happy ending (which isn't always guaranteed either). For me, just because the couples in fantasy dramas or historical dramas have to go through SO MANY HARDSHIPS to be together, the love stories are just ON ANOTHER LEVEL. Some of these couples are literally fighting death to be together. Everyone loves a good love story and to root for the happy ending. Chinese modern love stories are favorite for Chinese drama watchers (especially youth romance dramas) because of the relationship and how cute the drama is. Now this isn't my cup of tea BUT I can't deny that these love stories can be comforting at times. I watch the cute dramas from time to time for comfort and an easy watch but as a Chinese drama watcher, I tend to like to see my romantic leads go through the strife and hardship to win out in the end...it is a satisfying ending for me then
7)GRITTY CRIME DRAMAS. My favorite genre overall for any country is crime. I love crime dramas from all countries. Chinese crime dramas are just gritty and dirty AND I LOVE IT! Chinese crime dramas can appear to be procedural dramas and that is it. Now some of them BUT A LOT of the times, the drama will open up to be more than JUST a procedural crime drama. It will become a drama about relationships whether that is relationships with the victims of the crimes or relationships between the team investigating the crimes. I find that there is a bigger message under some of these Chinese crime dramas WHICH is just BEAUTIFUL to watch play out on my screen.
8)FEMALE CHARACTERS. The female characters in Chinese dramas are strong and unrelenting! Now I know, I watch mostly fantasy and crime Chinese dramas SO this might be biased BUT you can't deny that a female character that can fight and wield a sword is just cool to watch. A lot of these female characters are queens, mothers, monarchs, soldiers, cops etc. They are a strong and stubborn, know what they want and will do anything to get it. They have a strong moral code and stay strong to their beliefs (which might be bad if they end up being the villain). I love that these characters can hold their own against their male counterparts which makes the banter with the male leads all the more fun to watch. Strong women who also have a heart and will do anything for friends, lovers and family is ALWAYS A YES IN MY BOOK!
9) OSTS. Music has a BIG impact in how I consume content. I listen to OSTs after I finish a drama (sometimes on repeat FOR DAYS!). What I actually love about Chinese dramas is the instrumental OSTs that come with their dramas. Not to mention EPICNESS again, BUT THE INSTRUMENTAL SCORES IN SOME OF THESE DRAMAS ARE EPIC! The drums and percussion alone sell me! I could listen to the instrumental score for a Chinese drama FOR DAYS! Then you layer singing over it and I AM SOLD EVEN MORE! The singing parts in Chinese dramas are just beautiful to listen too.
10) ESCAPISM. KEY REASON WHY I WATCH CHINESE DRAMAS! To escape the stress and worry of my life, I watch fantasy Chinese dramas and go on an adventure. I love Chinese dramas for this! I watch Fantasy Chinese Dramas for the magic, the lore, the monsters...JUST EVERYTHING!
FAVORITE CDRAMAS OF ALL TIME (I have many BUT here are a few):
-Tientsin Mystic S1
FAVORITE CDRAMAS OF 2020 SO FAR (I have many BUT here are a few):
CURRENT CDRAMAS I AM WATCHING:
Why do you like Cdramas? Have you ever watched a Cdrama? What are your favorite Cdramas? What Cdramas are you watching now?
HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT MY FIRST POST OF THIS INTRO SERIES - "WHY I LIKE KDRAMAS"