C-dramas are striking a chord with international audiences

After watching the Chinese drama series The Early Spring, Vietnamese marketing analyst Pham Thi Thuy Linh listened to its soundtrack every day — not just for the story, but for the moments that felt deeply familiar and echoed her own life experiences.

"Although I cannot understand all the lyrics, they touch my heart," said Linh, 35. Set against the backdrop of urban life, workplace challenges and the search for love and belonging, Chinese drama series, or C-dramas, are striking a chord with audiences far beyond China's borders.

"Chinese dramas contain various genres, including ancient settings, modern-day issues, and psychological themes, that draw young Vietnamese viewers," said Linh.

The Early Spring climbed to second place on Netflix's weekly global chart for non-English-language series in October.

The social media accounts of Jing Boran, the male lead, drew comments from viewers worldwide. Some viewers said they had watched the drama multiple times and thanked him for his compelling performance.

Irreplaceable, despite not yet becoming a major hit in China, drew 2 million views in its first week. It entered the platform's top 10 in 24 countries and regions.

Set in a fictional ancient world, Pursuit of Jade has also shown strong momentum. It has topped Google searches for Chinese costume dramas worldwide since 2025 and racked up more than 10 million views.

As more Chinese series win overseas audiences, viewers encounter a wider range of settings and stories, and come into contact with different aspects of Chinese life and culture.

Beyond her fascination with the fashion pieces styled in The Early Spring, Linh said the appeal also lies in its portrayal of relationships and working life. She sees herself in the female lead, who moves to a big city to study and work while navigating professional pressures.

For Zena Saidi, a university student in Tanzania, C-dramas appeal to her for their exquisite production, unique creativity and tightly woven plots. In one of her favorites, The Tale of Rose, "The heroine is beautiful and intelligent, and the way she experiences love makes you feel deeply for her," she said.

Female characters and their personal journeys are proving a draw for viewers abroad. On iQIYI International, Chinese streaming platform iQIYI's overseas service, Pursuit of Jade topped the platform's global charts for the first half of 2026. Some overseas viewers praised the series for showing women taking the initiative to solve problems.

Other popular titles on the platform appeal in different ways. The Best Thing weaves traditional Chinese medicine into a love story while Speed and Love adds racing and boxing to its romantic plot.

For some fans, interest endures after the final episode. They look up soundtracks and filming locations, or share favorite scenes online. Some become curious about the food and everyday details they see on screen.

An article in India's Hindustan Times highlighted locations in Beijing and Harbin, Heilongjiang province, featured in The Early Spring, giving fans ideas for places to visit and making the television drama a starting point for travel inspiration.

Social media has also changed the way audiences engage with shows. They share their reactions, create their own content, and keep the conversation going beyond the screen.

Vietnamese film critic and writer Le Hong Lam said Chinese television series and films have influenced Vietnamese popular culture at different times.

He pointed to Meet Yourself, a series about healing and finding beauty in everyday life. Its unhurried pace and focus on life's small pleasures offer viewers a different vision of modern living, he said.

Chinese cultural products, such as television shows, films, animations, and video games, have gained widespread popularity worldwide, Benjamin Mgana, chief editor of foreign news at The Guardian Tanzania newspaper, said.

Through these works, more Tanzanians have come to understand and appreciate Chinese culture, Mgana noted.

Chinese streaming platforms have expanded their global reach, opening up more distribution avenues for C-dramas beyond platforms like YouTube.

In 2019, Tencent launched its overseas version WeTV in Thailand, offering original Chinese content with Thai subtitles and dubbing. The same year, iQIYI International was launched and gradually began localized operations in countries including Malaysia and Singapore.

These platforms have leveraged technology to break down language and cultural barriers. Over 90 percent of iQIYI International's translation and dubbing work is done by AI, with humans responsible for the final review. According to the company, the entire process, from receiving the source content to completing subtitles in more than 10 languages, takes just one to two days.