South Asian culture has seen a boost in mass interest in TV Shows and Movies coming from different countries, especially South Korea, Japan and China. Chinese dramas, also known as C-dramas, are gaining a lot of attention online, all thanks to their longer number of episodes and fantastical elements.
With a comparatively limited number of shows releasing in C-drama releases in the first week of this month, here is a tentative list of all Chinese dramas that will be released throughout May 2024.
Long Dramas
Men in Love
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance
Episodes: 40
Runtime: 45 min
Network: iQiyi, Tencent Video
Plot: The show narrates the tale of four men in their forties who are worried about their careers and love lives. These men have been friends since they were young and now as continue their friendship as they go through love, breakup, success and failure.
What If
Release Date: May 6, 2024
Genre: Slice of Life, Romance
Episodes: 20
Runtime: 45 min
Network: Tencent Video
Plot: The show follows the life of a normal girl Xia Guo, who is faced with a difficult dilemma where the two choices will lead her toward two utterly different lives. Would she choose to live a home-sweet-home life with her boyfriend in her hometown or seize the opportunity to forge a successful career in a metropolitan? Which way would make her life “a little less normal”?
Regeneration
Release Date: May 6, 2024
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Episodes: 10
Runtime: 45 min
Network: Youku
Plot: Female journalist He Shan is invited to attend Fei Ke’s memorial service, along with five other strangers who each have an unknown connection to Fei Ke.
They soon discover that they have all known different versions of Fei Ke, leaving them to question who he really is. Now, they get together to retrace their memories and gradually uncover the truth about Fei Ke.
Reblooming Blue
Release Date: May 8, 2024
Genre: Business Romance
Episodes: 36
Runtime: 45 min
Network: Hunan TV, Mango TV
Plot: The show narrates the story of Chen Xiao Man who has been working hard in the city to save enough for her to invest shares in the family’s porcelain business. However, she becomes unemployed and has no choice but to return to her hometown.
At this time, Chen Xiao Man’s superior, Ke Yan, also encounters an unprecedented setback. Hoping to turn things around, he has come to Chen Xiao Man’s hometown to seek the help of a legendary figure in the investment community who has been living in seclusion.
This leads to a reunion between Chen Xiao Man and Ke Yan. Under his guidance and encouragement, she decided to embark on the road of entrepreneurship.
Where Is the Love
Release Date: May 8, 2024
Genre: Romance
Episodes: 30
Runtime: 45 min
Network: LeTV
Plot: Du Xinyue, Gu Ning, Luo Dan and Ai Moli are four best friends with very different personalities. Du Xinyue, who is pregnant, takes care of her career and family and is married to an ignorant man.
Gu Ning is in a toxic relationship but has her wedding approaching. Luo Dan’s campus romance has finally come to fruition, but the meeting between their parents at the engagement party opened the curtain of tragedy.
Ai Moli was originally a couple whose relationship was envied by all. However, this seemingly perfect relationship has an unknown secret. With all of their relationships filing, the women wonder where has the love gone as they learn what true love actually is.
Joy of Life Season 2
Release Date: May 16 2024 (Tentative)
Genre: Comedy, Period, Romance
Episodes: 36
Runtime: 45 min
Network: CCTV, iQiyi, Tencent Video
Plot: The drama continues from the first season of the Joy of Life trilogy, following the story of Fan Xian as he gains a stronghold in the court.
Short Dramas
Strong Heart
Release Date: May 1, 2024
Genre: Medical
Episodes: 24
Runtime: 8 min
Network: Tencent Video, Youku
Plot: The show narrates the story of first-year resident doctors at the Shanghai-Qiong Medical Co-operation. Chen Xin, is a doctor at Qiongzhou Maternal and Child Health Hospital who failed to pass the deputy chief physician assessment and his self-confidence was frustrated.
Faced with family members in need of care who persuaded him to return home, and faced with career bottlenecks. Chen Xin had thoughts of giving up but his hostile old classmate Gu Zhaohui shows up at the hospital with a team from Huzhou Children’s Medical Center to cooperate in surgery.
Rise from the Ashes
Release Date: May 2, 2024
Genre: Period Romance
Episodes: 24
Runtime: 10 min
Network: Tencent Video
Plot: The show narrates the story of Cheng Xi Nian, a young girl who met an untimely demise in her first life. Realizing that she had been used to death after she was unexpectedly reborn.
Now she vows to change the outcome of this new life and allies herself with Su Jing Yuan, a man who has been lurking and hidden in her family to get his revenge.
Silent At The Moment / Ci Ke Wu Sheng
Release Date: May 7, 2024
Genre: Suspense, Romance
Episodes: 20
Runtime: 10 min
Network: Tencent Video
Plot: The show narrates the story of a deaf housewife, Mai Lingjing who has a perfect husband Wang Shiming and a considerate best friend Su Xi. However, her seemingly happy life is shattered after she accidentally regains her hearing. It turns out that her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and is planning a more terrifying conspiracy.
In order to find out the truth, Mai Lingjing endured the humiliation and continued to pretend to be deaf, embarking on a road of revenge against her husband and best friend.
Inverse Identity / Upside Down
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Genre: BL Romance
Episodes: 9
Runtime: 2 min
Network: Peach App
Plot: Yan Lu was being hunted, and in order to save himself, he accidentally kidnapped Jian An, the young master adopted by the Jian family. After he failed to escape, Jian An took revenge on him and was kidnapped in front of Jian An the next day. Jian An was very interested in Yan Lu and asked Yan Lu to be his bodyguard, and Yan Lu was forced to agree. Jian An uses various methods to “torture” Yan Lu every day.
Princess Nirvana
Release Date: May 8, 2024
Genre: Period Romance
Episodes: 20
Runtime: 20 min
Network: Tencent Video
Plot: When Princess Chu Ziqian of Changning County woke up, she turned into Lin Yan, the daughter of Lin Shangshu, sitting on the wedding sedan to marry the seventh prince Zhao Qing.
Everyone thought that the Seventh Prince and Princess Changning were childhood sweethearts, but Chu Ziqian actually claimed that the Seventh Prince not only refused to marry and humiliated her but also poisoned her. God has given this opportunity, and Chu Ziqian will use Lin Yan’s identity to take revenge.
Which Mandarin/Chinese drama are you most looking forward to in May? Which do you think could become the best of 2024? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!