The best Chinese-language drama series with English subtitles you can stream right now

Society & Culture

From an alternate-reality crime show about a sexual assault survivor to a visually stunning fantasy drama featuring a forbidden romance, these are 2022โ€™s best Chinese-language TV series coming out that you can find on popular streaming services.

A still image from 'Shards of Her.'

Chinese-language TV series are overshadowed by the more popular offerings from South Korea, but there are a number of noteworthy new Sinophone shows, mostly from Taiwan, that you can binge-watch right now.

Mandarin-language shows are more accessible than ever these days thanks to streaming services such as Netflix, which routinely purchases broadcasting rights for series that generate conversations domestically, and are increasingly working with local creators to co-produce programs with a global reach in mind.

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These are the five best Mandarin-language series of 2022 that are available for streaming with English subtitles on Netflix and HBO.

Shards of Her


ๅฅนๅ’Œๅฅน็š„ๅฅน tฤ hรฉ tฤ de tฤ
Where to stream: Netflix

Synopsis: A capable headhunter who has to deal with misogyny and discrimination in the workplace, Lin Chen-Hsi (ๆž—ๆ™จๆ›ฆ Lรญn Chรฉnxฤซ) gets hit by a car one day. When she wakes up from a coma, Lin finds herself in an alternate reality where her high school chemistry teacher is killed. As her involvement in a police investigation into the murder case intensifies, Lin starts to regain her memory in real life and has to confront a piece of her past that she had hoped to forget.

Overview: Although the #MeToo movement has made ripples across the world, including in Chinese-speaking societies, it is not often that a Mandarin-language series comes along that grabs the collective attention of viewers while exploring one of the least-talked-about issues โ€” that of sexual assault and its ramifications โ€” in a nuanced, delicate way on-screen.

Shards of Her has just done that. Packed with searing emotion and armed with a showstopping central performance by Xว” Wฤ›inรญng ่ฎธ็Žฎ็”ฏ, the nine-part series is a fearless, boundary-pushing inquiry of gender dynamics, the imbalance of power, violence against women, and the path to recovery from trauma.

From its unconventional storytelling and attention to detail to masterful suspense building and top-notch dialogue writing, every facet of Shards of Her is groundbreaking and it has been receiving rave reviews not only in Taiwan but also across the Strait, where mainland viewers have rated the series a stellar 8.6 out of 10 on the popular Chinese review site Douban.

Love Between Fairy and Devil


่‹ๅ…ฐ่ฏ€ cฤng lรกn juรฉ
Where to stream: Netflix

Synopsis: The leader of a demon army called the Moon Tribe, Dลngfฤng Qฤซngcฤng ไธœๆ–น้’่‹ is locked up in a tower for thousands of years after an ancient battle. One day, a young woman named XiวŽolรกnhuฤ ๅฐๅ…ฐ่Šฑ, who is reborn as a fairy after her kingdom is defeated by Dongfang Qingchang, accidentally releases the prisoner.

When Dongfang Qingchang sets out to break his curse by sacrificing his saverโ€™s soul and unleashes chaos again, some bizarre magic appears to have taken place and make the pair switch bodies. But as they search for a way to undo the spell, love begins to blossom.

Overview: Love Between Fairy and Devil isnโ€™t entirely free from the clichรฉs of Chinese fantasy romances, but it also works hard to subvert expectations and reinvent whatโ€™s possible for the genre.

When it comes to characters, the series made an unusual decision to make an arrogant, ruthless, and sometimes downright despicable ruler as its protagonist. Dongfang Qingchang is the definition of an anti-hero, and his devilish charm immediately caught the attention of viewers when the series aired in China in the summer, resulting in a plethora of memes about his possessive behavior toward his romantic interest and his sheer apathy about everything but her.

Mom, Don’t Do That!


ๅฆˆ๏ผŒๅˆซ้—นไบ† mฤ, biรฉ nร o le
Where to stream: Netflix

Synopsis: After the passing of her husband, Wรกng Mรฉimรฉi ็Ž‹็Žซ็Žซ, a 60-year-old widow, decides to live boldly and find love again. When dating around, she moves in with her daughter Chรฉn Rรบrรณng ้™ˆๅฆ‚่“‰, who is conservative, perpetually single, and annoyed by her motherโ€™s lifestyle. At the same time, Rurongโ€™s younger sister, Chรฉn Ruรฒmวn ้™ˆ่‹ฅๆ•, reenters her life after a series of bad breakups.

In the face of their own dating problems, the three women make a wager: Whoever finds her romantic match first gets to go on an overseas trip paid for by the other two.

Overview: Emotional and funny, Mom, Don’t Do That! is a charming depiction of what dating looks like for women at different stages of their lives in Taiwan. Packed with comedic moments, the series also paints a heartwarming bond between a mother and her two daughters, which is reliably feel-good for nights when you want something lighthearted.

Twisted Strings


่‰ฏ่พฐๅ‰ๆ—ถ liรกng chรฉn jรญ shรญ
Where to stream: HBO

Synopsis: In the fictional city of Taiping, a spate of strange deaths occurs over the course of a week. Eerie and full of suspense, these incidents are woven in the memories of Wรบ Yuรจnวš ๅดๆœˆๅฅณ, a nearly dead woman whose life is marked by a series of unfortunate events.

Overview: Twisted Strings is a thriller-comedy executive-produced by Taiwanese art house filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien (ไพฏๅญ่ณข Hรณu Xiร oxiรกn), โ€‹โ€‹who is best known for his slow-paced realist works about everyday people, notably Taipei Story and The Puppetmaster. Twisted Strings was written and directed by Huรกng Xฤซ ้ปƒ็†™, whose directorial debut, Missing Johnny, earned her a nomination of Best New Director at the 2017 Golden Horse Awards.

Underscored by a delightful dark humor, Twisted Strings offers a satirical look at the darker side of the human condition.

Light the Night


ๅŽ็ฏๅˆไธŠ huรก dฤ“ng chลซ shร ng
Where to stream: Netflix

Synopsis: Located in the red-light district of 1980s Taipei, Light is a Japanese-style nightclub that offers wealthy businessmen and influential politicians fun, flirtation, and companionship. On a seemingly normal day, the body of a young woman who appears to be a hostess at Light is found on a hiking trail outside Taipei. The murder draws police officers to the popular establishment. As the investigation deepens, they discover that thereโ€™s a complicated web of relationships at the nightclub, where women have to navigate jealousy, heartbreak, friendship, love, and betrayal while trying to keep their patrons satisfied.

Overview: While Light the Night opens with the discovery of an unidentified corpse, the series is not a murder mystery at heart. The greatest feature of this soapy drama, now in its third season after premiering on Netflix in November 2021, is its rich ensemble of characters. Through a total of 24 episodes so far, the program tracks the hostessesโ€™ intertwined relationships and the unique struggles they face individually, inside and outside the club. Key to Light the Nightโ€™s brilliance are the strong performances given by each actress.