The popularity of Chinese drama has skyrocketed in the last decade. From historical dramas to romantic shows, it has served in various genres and stories to keep one person amused. The rise in viewership of Chinese-Mandarin shows has enabled us to watch them on most of the OTT platforms well known to us, such as Netflix and Amazon Prime. Most of the popular Chinese Shows are available on sources such as Youtube and Local Streaming Platforms.
Donghua is the term used to refer to Chinese animated shows and cartoons regardless of the style and representation of the animation. Most Chinese Dramas for children are made with such inbuilt moral values and ethics that can help children to inculcate similar values through such visual treats.
Children’s drama has always been an essential genre, as keeping little young minds busy is not as easy as it might seem. And for sure, Chinese drama did not disappoint here as well. With many shows based on developing a child’s Intelligence Quotient and Emotional Quotient simultaneously, Chinese drama has got it all. Streaming shows for kids as young as toddlers to teenagers, we have 30 Children’s Dramas to Watch Right to keep the young minds occupied and engaged!
30 Children’s Chinese Drama To Watch Right Now – Best Recommendations
A great children’s show is a combination of bright and vibrant visuals, interactive dialogues, and easy-to-understand storylines. Learning while watching and developing basic motor skills is something that is valued in any Children’s Drama.
Watching TV shows in a particular language can enhance the speaking and understanding ability in that language, as in the case of Mandarin/Chinese. For more mature audiences, engaging storylines and visual effects certainly prove to be a plus one for the Dramas.
Keeping in mind the variety of audiences, the list caters to as young as pre-schoolers up to young teenagers that will keep you busy in the fantasy world. So here are 30 Children’s Chinese Dramas filled with fun and lots of adventure!
1. Ni Hao, Kai-Lan
Produced by Nickelodeon Animated Studios and released in 2008, the show has been a spectacular watch ever since for the little ones. This American-Mandarin show takes the watchers on the story of Kai-Lan and her anthropomorphic talking animal friends with whom she undertakes many thrilling journeys.
In each episode, Kai-Lan and her friends encounter a new obstacle, and they must work together to overcome it by solving riddles, playing games, and answering questions.
The show enables the viewers to interact with the character, making a more interpersonal connection with the character and making it a joyous experience.
2. The Legends of Monkey King
The Legends of Monkey King is a Chinese drama adapted from the book of the same name written by Jia Yu Bu Shi Gui and directed by Huang Jun Wen. Also known as Da Po Hao, the show is a fantasy experience in itself. The story is an adventurous tale of a simple mortal man living his life when he encounters a twist in his life as he travels into the past and, by a mere accident, becomes the Monkey King.
We follow the journey of Sun Wukong as he navigates through his destiny of becoming the Legendary Monkey King and fights against the restraints forcing him to this fate as he battles with the Gods and Demons for his Freedom. With the elements of actions, humor, and heroism, the show is a great choice to watch!
Also, mostly confused with the movie of the same name and theme, the show and movie are distinctly different in their making and direction.
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3. The Story of Avanti
Released in 1980 by Shanghai Animation Studios, The Story of Avanti is a short and small puppet animation adapted from folklore with beautiful stories with life lessons and wise thoughts. Each episode provides the viewers with short stories carrying a moral message, as the legendary character Avanti who, with his donkey, uses his witty mind and sharp tongue to provide justice to people who have been wronged by the ruling class and landlords.
He sympathizes with the local people who are facing injustice from the landlords asking for higher taxes and unfair decisions of the rulers.
Avanti stands as a symbol of wisdom, but he is more than just wise. He’s very funny as well, to keep you laughing and giggling uncontrollably throughout with humorous plots and jokes as he takes a stand for justice. Also, one could learn a lot more about Uyghur culture, clothing, lifestyle, and food through this animation.
4. Big Ear Tutu
This 2004 aired television Chinese series is the story of a little boy named Hu Tutu who is gifted with enormous ears for his face. For his young age, he is very curious, inquisitive, and an energy ball, always up for a new adventure.
His vivid imagination and readiness to take on the world drive the plot of the episodes as he embarks on a different quest in each one bringing in various comical and educational plotlines. Being a sweet boy, he is also obedient and listens to his parents eagerly, through whom he learns his lessons. The vivacious personality of Tutu is something that attracts the viewers to watch and keeps them connected to his character.
5. The New Big-Headed Son and Small-Headed Dad
This show is a real-life adaption of a 1995-based animated cartoon series by the name “Big Headed Kid-Small Headed Father,” also known as Xin Da Tou Er Zi He Xiao Tou Ba Ba.
The show stars a family in Shanghai, wherein the small-head dad provides for his family, and in the process of doing so, we see the obstacles they overcome as a family and how one family, regardless of the vivid and stark personalities, is filled with love and care.
This show is a perfect and comfortable watch with interesting episodes.
6. GG Bond
GG Bond is one of the most popular ongoing Chinese comedy 3-D Animated shows right now. Following the fantasy character of GG Bond, a mischievous, playful, and intelligent pig who, with his humor and wit, embarks on adventures with his friends and solves problems.
He and his close friends Phoebe, Super Q, Bobby, S Daddy, and Dr. Mihoo, travel through various multiverses as they overcome problems.
The show is a morally enclosed one as it provides young viewers with an idea of social issues like environmental changes, deforestation, and pollution, along with strong themes of sharing, friendship, and truthfulness.
7. The Legend of Huainanzi
History is always a major part when it comes to learning, and this show makes learning about history and relevant events even simpler. This series is an animated TV series that is produced by CCTV Animation Co. LTD, Huainan Media Industry Development Centre, and the Communication University of China.
Set in the background of the ancient western Han Dynasty period, this historical fantasy episodic series is the story of the Huainanzi, a mysterious Chinese book whose pieces have transformed into objects and scattered around through different time junctures.
We get to see the adventure of Hong Lie and his friends as they travel through different time zones and dynasties to rediscover and retrieve those pieces. They are in the process of doing so, solving a mystery bigger than they realize.
8. Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf
Directed by Huang Weiming and produced by Creative Power Entertaining, this show is a must-watch. The anime-influenced animated television show is a show of comic survival. The Big Big Wolf has become a threat to the Goats living in the paradise of Green Green Grasslands. They find out various ways to save themselves from the clumsy wolf who finds ways to hunt the goats down.
The show has also been aired in countries like India, Malaysia, Indonesia, South Kora, and Cambodia. With its high popularity and cashing success, the show has been a hit since its initial release in 2005 and continues to be. With more than 2000 episodes, the show is bound to keep you hooked for a good long time.
9. The Legend of Ne Zha
Starring the voice-over of Hong Chen and directed by Zhang Li, this show is perfect for anyone looking for magic and martial arts altogether in one place. The plot follows the story of a heavenly-born boy, Ne Zha, who is a self-righteous boy with a strong sense of opinion and goodness. Along with such strong traits, he’s also a little mischievous and temperamental, which lands him in trouble all the time but also helps him pass the obstacle with ease.
He’s on an adventure to save innocent people from the shadows of evil and bring peace to the world, which is going through deplorable times. The show factually represents the legend of Ne Zha, and it becomes a learning experience for someone wishing to learn more about history and folktales.
10. Lotus Lantern
Based on the Magic of Lotus Lantern, which is a Chinese fairytale, this mystical watch adds well to your bucket list. The show premiered first in 2005, was produced by Shanghai Animation Film Studio, and has caught the eyes of everyone locally. Based on the genre of Shenmo, which is a sub-genre of Fantasy Fiction that involves the presence of Gods and Demons in it.
With these celestial elements, the 35-episode series offers a great storyline and keeps the viewer on the edge of their seats throughout. A half-mortal and half-god, the son of Scholar’s Saviour, discovers his mystical powers as he begins his fantastical adventure.
11. Prelude of Lotus Lantern
Well, can’t you have enough of Lotus Lantern and want to immerse yourself more in Chinese Mythology and history? Then we have the solution for the same. The Prelude of Lotus Lantern serves as the Prequel to the 2005 air show Lotus Lantern. We get to see the legendary story of Erlang Shen, also known as the lord of Sichuan. He is a popularly known god of Chinese Mythology and has a third truth-seeing eye that rests at the middle of his forehead.
The 46-episode-long series was released in April 2009. Someone who wishes to learn more about Chinese Mythologysimplyy, with beautiful visuals, must give this show a try.
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12. Boy Hood
This 2017 show is a great example of what teamwork in life means. Directed by Gary Sing and Dai Xiao Zhe, the story follows young baseballers who go through various emotions, up and downs, and struggles that any sport has to offer.
To uplift oneself from defeat and to learn how to work together as a team, this show has an emotionally charged storyline with relatable characters. Wu Tong defeats the opposing team in the game, which demotivates the opposite team due to their consistent losses.
Later on, as the story proceeds, Tong is transferred to the very same school he has played against and now has to work out through issues to come together and play as a team to improve and become the team that they aspire and dream of being. This story is an exciting one as we see the new friendships being developed, and indeed a treat for a sports fan!
13. Qiao Ho
The next one is for someone who wishes to brush up on their Mandarin speaking skills with ease.
Qiao Ho, which translates to Clever Tiger, is a very popular Chinese show to make learning Chinese easy. Clever Tiger, along with his animal friends, sets out on a daily quest to solve mysteries and overcome obstacles.
With its easy-to-understand plot lines and simple story structures, the show is fun to watch.
14. Pororo, The Little Penguin
This comedy computer anime animated series will assuredly make your funny bones tickle. Available in both Korean and Mandarin, this show leads the story of a cute penguin, Pororo, who gets himself stuck in problems unimagined.
With each obstacle coming to an end, Pororo and friends close the episodes with life and moral lesson giving the show a philosophical turn. The show is available on Netflix, and the user can choose the language they wish to watch in.
15. The Adventures of Little Carp
Based on the famous Chinese folklore “The Carp Jumps Over the Dragon Gate,” The story is set in Carp Lake, where a Carp named Bubbles lives with his grandmother happily.
The grandmother tells little bubbles the legendary story of the Dragon King, of his glory and how he ruled seas and rivers. One day Bubbles encounters the Evil Snake, who disguises himself as the Dragon King. The Evil Snake, along with his two accomplices, Lobby and Bogart, go to Carp Lake with Bubble and in a battle with his grandmother, whom he turns into a bubble after she grows suspicious of their true identity.
To revive his grandmother and avenge her death, the little bubbles must find the last five dragon scales left by the Dragon to beat the Evil Snake. The story of Bubbles the Carp is an adventurous one that keeps you excited all along.
16. Tian Xin Ge Ge
The story revolves around a prince who falls in love with a commoner. They both live a blissful royal life together and also have a daughter together until trouble knocks on their door.
During an unpredicted rebellion, the family gets separated from each other, and as the year’s pass, the prince now becomes the Emperor and is finally able to track his daughter successfully. But to his surprise, instead of a poised and well-mannered daughter, he finds a rebellious kid who has picked up some unrefined habits as she lived a life civilian.
This story is an entertaining adventure as both try to adjust to each other and their characteristics and try to make the best of what they have.
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17. Our Friend Remy Bear
We all love shows with great stories of unbreakable friendships and neverending fun. We have Remy, the Bear or referred to as Xiong Xiao Mi, who tells the stories of the great times he spent with his friends Zhiping the penguin, Ellie, the baby elephant, and Ray, the lion cub.
He shares interactive stories of the great memories with his friends, about how they met each other initially and became each other’s support system as their friendship grew. The show with social life lessons encourages the kids to understand the values of being polite, kind, and honest with everyone and the show with simple storylines makes it easier to comprehend the meaning and lessons.
18. Hao Mao Lan Tu: Kaixin Yike
With 96 short episodes, this series is set on the adventures of Howie (Or Homer) and Landau as they navigate through different situations and find themselves in complicated predicaments. The Duo, in the extremely short episodes, finds a way together to overcome the obstructions in their path along with elements of comedy and politeness. The show was first aired in 2005 and was released by Great Dreams Studios.
19. Lan Mao (3000 Whys of the Blue Cat)
Also translated as Blue Cat, this show has short-length episodes, and the show is great for kids who wish to indulge themselves in the world of science. This one-of-a-kind show takes considerations from the Chinese Youth, and the studios respond to them by representing it as one of Lan Mao’s adventures. This show based on Science Fiction turned out to be a great way to learn more about science.
The show, with 424 episodes and twelve-minute long episodes, is a great quick watch for kids to keep them hooked with different stories and adventures. And in this process, one can learn so many concepts of science through this interactive drama. The show first aired in the fall of 1999, and it has been aired till today, making it one of the world longest-running cartoon shows in the world.
20. Zhong Hua Xiao Zi
Also translated as Chinese Kids, the 26-episodic series is the story of three courageous teenagers who are practicing Kung Fu in the Shaolin Temple as they prepare themselves to fight against dangerous demons.
Set in the background of Henan Province of China during the 17th Century, the show sets a royal and historical background from the very start and tolls into a fantasy theme as we are introduced to demons and magic.
They need to stop the demon, who was last seen during the time of the Sui Dynasty and terrorized the whole province in the hungry search for magic books. The demon shall rise again and begin the search once more, but can the three young warriors stop him? To be a part of this adventure, you should definitely add this show to your list.
21. Xia Lan
Adding to the supernatural and shows packed with action, we have Xia Lan, which is the story of a young boy Nian Chi, who, as a child, witnessed the kidnapping of his elder sister and couldn’t do anything other than watch the whole unfortunate event unfold in front of his eyes.
Years have passed and but the anger and guilt have only found a stronger home in his heart till one day, ten years later, he decides to rescue his sister. He is all set to undertake this journey filled with risks and battles, and a journey that definitely won’t be an easy one.
Join Nian Chi on his mystical quest as he searches for his lost sister and also discovers his powers.
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22. Hua Jianghu: Xia Lan
Well, if you loved the first part of the Xia Lan Franchise, then you’ll love the sequel as well. With more historical and mystical characters, battles, and amazing storylines, the 40-episode-long series, released in 2018, is a must-watch.
This series is filled with wonderful visuals, pleasing themes, and a background score, which enhances the overall experience of watching this show, whether on your own or with friends or family. The introduction of new characters and villains makes the plot of the drama even more interesting to watch and keeps you thrilled throughout.
23. The Legend of Sword Domain
Also known as Jian Yu Chuanqi, this anime-based Chinese drama does true justice to its name. The story begins with the introduction of an ancient Sword Domain Continent, where the sword is not only powerful but also honorable. There are Five Families and ten Exaliburs which leads us to the story of Lu Yang, a descendant of the Lu Family.
Avoiding to awaken awakening of the sacred “Peach God Sword,” he sets out on an exhilarating quest to dominate the world. Along the way, he shines his swordsmanship skills, avenges his mother, and, most importantly, seeks out the truth of the swords.
Released by Ruo Hong Culture in November 2021, this show is a fairly new one and has picked up a good set audience and was loved for the plot.
24. Wan Jie Chun Qiu
Also belonging to one of the historical and magical genre-based shows, this show was released in April 2020 with more than 50 episodes to its name. Also known as Spring and Autumn, the show leads the story of a young man, the protagonist, who is on his way to Shang Shi Province, which will ultimately change his life.
On his father’s insistence, he undertakes this journey, unaware that very soon he’ll be a part of affairs between two clans. Finding himself in these unavoidable circumstances, he must fight his way out and take a stand for what he believes in.
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25. Wan Jie Fa Shen
Translated as God of Thousand Realms, these extremely short episodes are set in the place referred to as the mainland, which is under the crisis of coming to an end due to shortage and exhaustion of Magical Elements, which lead the continent into a void storm, causing destruction.
To save the civilizations from coming from its end, Ye Xuan, a three-thousand-year-old boy who was also the last God of Law on the mainland during his magically prosperous years, comes back disguising himself as a common student at Sith Magic Academy.
Together with his friends, he investigates the reason behind the depletion of magical elements and unfurls a dark secret in the process.
26. Quanzhi Fashi
What would you do if one day you woke up to find that the world that you once knew is not the same anymore but filled with schools of magic and everyone is in pursuit of becoming a magician? The world that is known for its scientific advancements transforms itself into a world where it is reaching heights in magic.
So was the case of Mo Fan, as he discovers his potential in magic and undertakes an enticing journey of learning magic and becoming a skilled magician himself despite his troubling situations at home. Living with a struggling father and a disabled sister, he tries to make the best out of life.
Also known as Full-Time Magister and released by Foch Studios, this drama with eighteen episodes is a visual treat in itself as it has elements of Fantasy and Magic in it.
27. Quanzhi Fashi II
Continuing the saga of Mo Fan as he brushes his magical abilities and advances in the journey of learning magic more deeply, he encounters troubles on his path that he must overcome. The show carries forward the plotlines of the previous season, adding new themes and concepts in the twelve eighteen-minute-long episodes. This show is bound to keep a person hooked, and they might even rewatch it multiple times.
The second season of Qaunzhi Fashi is later on followed by another season which also proceeds the story further with more pomp and show!
28. Zhongguo Jingqi Xiansheng
Sourced from Manga Comics, this one is surely going to interest all the Manga fans out there! Translated as Chinese Mystery Man, with sixty-three episodes, each ten minutes long, it is a story set in the Eastern Han Dynasty. An ancient lost form of magic is revived from the land of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and at the same time, dangerous man-eating monsters have started lurking in the streets, becoming a threat to the people living there.
We follow the story of the two protagonists as they set out on a mission to stop these monsters from harming anyone and saving lives. Released by Haoliners Animation League and Pb Animation in 2014, the show is a perfect fit for a young manga fan.
29. Wo De Nitian Shenqi
Translated as My Holy Weapon, the title explains the themes portrayed in the drama. Chang Tian, on being attacked to protect himself, invokes an ancient artifact unintentionally. The artifact helps him to fight and ultimately protects him from his terrible fate. Very soon enough, he finds himself on a battlefield at the brink of a war, where he must fight along with people like him who can also invoke artifacts.
The story unfurls the history and truth of these artifacts as they are considered holy and sacred. Also inspired by the Manga comics and released in April 2018, the show has gained a great pace in terms of popularity and reach.
The show has seventeen minutes long and has sixteen episodes, also released by the same studios as the above show mentioned.
30. Big-Headed Kid and Small-Headed Father
The animated version of The New Big Head Son and Small Head Dad was released in 1995 and was a big hit after its initial release. The story follows a six-year-old boy and his family living in modern China. The show grew popular among the young ones as they could also relate to it. With its simple terminology and work use, it encourages children to learn more about the language with ease.
It was jointly produced by CCTV and Shanghai Oriental TV. With various events occurring in the six-year life, the family promotes positive family values and traditionalism.
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