K-dramas out of Korea get all the press, but there are popular ones in Chinese as well. Here’s a nice list of high school and college-age-focused dramas, all romances (are there any other kind?)

To watch them it looks like one might have to get an account on Rakuten Viki, which is an Asian-focused streaming service that costs $5.99 a month as far as I can tell.

The one thing I like about Asian shows is that they don’t feature high schoolers having steamy sex every other second. The thing I don’t like about Asian shows is that too often the female characters are long-suffering while the men get to be jerks. But thankfully that seems to be less common than it was a decade ago.

And yes, our family did watch all 16 episodes of Crash Landing on You. Some, and I won’t name names, watched it several times. It’s total fluff and requires a fair amount of putting aside reality (life in North Korea is not in fact simply an austere version of Green Acres). But then, I grew up enjoying Hogans Heros, and I of course now realize life in a German POW camp wasn’t a laugh-riot either.

Here are a couple of ideas for your kids as they’re at loose ends over the holidays.

12 Chinese School Dramas to Add to Your Watch List

Looking for something new to watch? These Chinese school shows might be worth it.

BYASHLEY HAJIMIRSADEGHI

MovieWeb SEP 9, 2023

Like many other international dramas, Chinese-language shows are having a moment on the global stage. While they may not have achieved as much attention as, for example, Korean historical shows or Japanese romances, Chinese shows have been creating a solid niche for themselves in the international network of drama fans. Some of the most famous television series from mainland China include historical dramas and fantasies, many of which draw on the rich cultural history of the country and regions surrounding it. Those familiar with television shows from the area are able to note how they implement elements of Chinese mythology and costuming to create extravagant sets in historical periods.

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