Cover These C-drama stars are the rare names that convince audiences to press play before they've even read the brief (Photo: IMDB)
These C-drama stars are the rare names that convince audiences to press play before they've even read the brief (Photo: IMDB)
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These C-drama stars have built reputations as the industry’s most dependable script pickers
Every C-drama fan has at least one actor they trust without question.
Their name appears on a poster, then suddenly the synopsis doesn’t matter. The genre doesn’t matter. Even the trailer becomes optional. Experience has taught viewers that if this actor signed on, there’s a good chance the drama is worth the investment.
That’s a remarkable achievement in an industry that produces hundreds of television series every year. Trends change overnight, audiences move on quickly and even established stars occasionally struggle to recapture their momentum. Yet a select group of C-drama stars have consistently defied that cycle. They have developed filmographies filled with ratings winners, streaming sensations and critically acclaimed performances across multiple genres.
Some began as child actors. Others rose through talent competitions, supporting roles or years of quiet persistence. What unites them isn’t just popularity—it’s an uncanny ability to choose projects that become the dramas everyone ends up talking about.
Here are the C-drama stars who, time and again, never seem to miss.
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1. Zhao Liying
Biggest hits: Legend of Lu Zhen, The Journey of Flower, Princess Agents, The Story of Minglan, Wild Bloom, The Legend of Shen Li
Before she became one of China’s undisputed television queens, Zhao Liying came from remarkably humble beginnings. Raised in rural Hebei, she had no formal performing arts background and entered show business after winning the Yahoo Search Star talent competition in 2006. Unlike many of today’s stars, she didn’t debut with instant leading roles. Instead, she spent years playing supporting characters. She gradually earned a reputation for reliability before finally breaking through with Legend of Lu Zhen.
The remarkable thing about Zhao’s career isn’t simply the number of hits she’s accumulated—it's how she has repeatedly reinvented herself. She helped ignite the xianxia boom with The Journey of Flower, delivered one of television's biggest action heroines in Princess Agents, proved her dramatic maturity with The Story of Minglan, surprised audiences again with the business drama Wild Bloom and returned triumphantly to fantasy with The Legend of Shen Li. Few actresses have successfully navigated a variety of genres with such consistency.
Her greatest strength has never been chasing trends, but evolving alongside them. More than a decade after her breakthrough, Zhao remains one of the industry’s safest bets—a performer whose filmography has become synonymous with both commercial success and remarkable longevity.
2. Yang Zi
Biggest hits: Ashes of Love, Go Go Squid!, Immortal Samsara, Lost You Forever
Yang Zi became famous as a child, playing Xia Xue in the family sitcom Home with Kids before successfully transitioning into adult leading roles. Ashes of Love established her as a major xianxia star, while Go Go Squid! became one of the defining modern romances of 2019. She followed those with Immortal Samsara and, most significantly, Lost You Forever, which became one of Tencent Video’s biggest costume-drama successes of 2023.
What makes Yang’s run notable is its range as much as its scale. She has moved between xianxia, contemporary romance and historical drama without being confined to the child-star image that first made her famous. Lost You Forever in particular reinforced her ability to anchor a large-scale costume drama while carrying a more emotionally demanding role.
3. Hu Ge
Biggest hits: Chinese Paladin, The Disguiser, Nirvana in Fire, Blossoms Shanghai
Few careers in Chinese television have been defined by reinvention quite like Hu Ge’s. A graduate of the Shanghai Theatre Academy, he became an overnight sensation in the mid-2000s thanks to Chinese Paladin, whose fantasy, romance and martial arts turned him into one of the country’s brightest young C-drama stars. Then tragedy struck. In 2006, Hu survived a devastating car accident that claimed the life of his assistant and left him with serious injuries, forcing him to step away from the spotlight for months.
His comeback became the stuff of industry legend. Rather than simply returning as the same romantic idol, Hu deliberately pursued more complex, psychologically layered characters. The result was an extraordinary run that included the espionage drama The Disguiser, the universally acclaimed political masterpiece Nirvana in Fire and, years later, Wong Kar-wai’s lavish period drama Blossoms Shanghai. Each project not only became a cultural event but also demonstrated a different facet of his range.
If many actors build careers on popularity, Hu has built his on trust. Whether he appears in historical intrigue, modern drama or literary adaptations, audiences have come to expect meticulous scripts, exceptional production values and performances that elevate every project he touches. That’s why every new Hu Ge drama isn’t simply another release—it’s treated as television's next major event.
4. Wu Lei (Leo Wu)
Biggest hits: The Long Ballad, Love Like the Galaxy, Nothing But You, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love
Wu Lei has accomplished something few child actors ever manage: he completely escaped the “former child star” label. Beginning his career at just three years old in commercials before steadily building an impressive résumé in historical dramas and fantasy series, he spent much of his childhood growing up in front of Chinese audiences. By the time he entered adulthood, he had already amassed years of professional experience that many actors twice his age could only dream of.
Rather than rushing into romantic leading-man roles, Wu carefully rebuilt his image. Whether wielding a sword in a palace coup, playing badminton-turned-tennis player or becoming a quietly supportive professional snooker player, Wu has shown an instinct for choosing emotionally grounded stories over flashy gimmicks.
His greatest strength is versatility. He has successfully navigated historical epics, coming-of-age dramas, sports romances and contemporary love stories without ever feeling trapped in a single genre.
5. Bai Lu
Biggest hits: The Legends, Love Is Sweet, One and Only, Forever and Ever, Till the End of the Moon, Story of Kunning Palace, Northward
Bai Lu’s path to stardom was anything but conventional. Before acting, she briefly pursued opportunities in K-pop after auditioning for SM Entertainment in South Korea. Although that chapter didn’t work out, it eventually led her to Yu Zheng’s production company, where she steadily climbed the ranks through background performances before landing her breakout role in The Legends opposite Xu Kai.
Few actresses have assembled such an impressive run in such a short span. She was compelling in modern romance with Love Is Sweet, delivered one of television’s most emotionally devastating performances in One and Only, rewarded audiences with the healing sequel Forever and Ever, dominated fantasy streaming charts with Till the End of the Moon and continued the momentum through Story of Kunning Palace and the critically praised Northward. It’s a remarkable balance between commercial blockbusters and more character-driven dramas.
6. Xiao Zhan
Biggest hits: The Untamed, The Oath of Love, Sunshine by My Side, The Longest Promise, The Legend of Zanghai
Xiao Zhan used to be a graphic designer in Chongqing. However, his career took an unexpected turn after participating in the idol survival programme X-Fire, debuting as a member of the boy group X NINE before gradually transitioning into acting. It was hardly an overnight success story, but everything changed in 2019.
The Untamed turned Xiao Zhan into a global phenomenon that introduced countless international viewers to C-dramas. Instead of leaning solely on that unprecedented popularity, he carefully expanded his résumé with the medical romance The Oath of Love, the mature workplace drama Sunshine by My Side, the fantasy epic The Longest Promise and the political drama The Legend of Zanghai. Each project indicated a deliberate effort to broaden his range while maintaining the quality audiences had come to expect.
Despite the extraordinary attention surrounding him, his script choices have consistently reinforced rather than diluted his reputation, making him one of the industry’s safest marquee names.
7. Bai Jingting
Biggest hits: Reset, New Life Begins, Destined, Always on the Move, The First Frost
Bai Jingting has built a notably consistent run across very different genres. Reset established him as a leading man in a tightly constructed sci-fi thriller, followed by the costume romances New Life Begins and Destined. He then moved into contemporary drama with Always on the Move before returning to romance in The First Frost. Available Yunhe-based viewership figures put New Life Begins and Destined among his stronger performers, while The First Frost extended his commercial reach into a major contemporary romance franchise.
Bai’s filmography doesn’t depend on one enormous xianxia breakout: it moves from time-loop thriller to historical romance to contemporary ensemble drama, with several titles becoming substantial streaming successes along the way.
8. Zhang Ruoyun
Biggest hits: Medical Examiner Dr Qin, Joy of Life, Sword Snow Stride, Joy of Life 2
Zhang Ruoyun spent years building his résumé before Joy of Life turned him into one of the defining leading men of the streaming era. His Fan Xian combined comedy, political intrigue and action, and the series became a major success. He followed it with Sword Snow Stride, then returned to his signature role in Joy of Life 2, which set a Tencent Video record by reaching 30,000 on the platform’s heat index just 57 minutes after its premiere.
He has an unusually durable franchise-driven run: Zhang has managed to make Fan Xian a signature role without being limited to it, moving between historical fantasy, wuxia and contemporary drama. Alongside his major genre blockbusters, his critically praised turn in the grounded police procedural Ordinary Greatness demonstrated that his storytelling instincts extend far beyond imperial conspiracies.
9. Liu Yifei
Biggest hits: The Story of a Noble Family, Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, Chinese Paladin, The Return of the Condor Heroes, A Dream of Splendour, Meet Yourself, The Tale of Rose
Long before Hollywood dubbed her “Mulan,” Liu Yifei was already one of China’s brightest television stars. A graduate of the Beijing Film Academy, she became famous almost overnight through a string of early-2000s classics. Her ethereal beauty earned her the nickname “Fairy Sister,” but it was her natural screen presence that turned those dramas into enduring favourites.
After spending more than a decade focusing primarily on films—including Disney’s live-action Mulan—Liu made a triumphant return to television with A Dream of Splendour. The drama became both a commercial and critical success, reminding audiences why she had become a household name in the first place. She followed it with the healing slice-of-life series Meet Yourself and the acclaimed modern drama The Tale of Rose.
Very few C-drama stars can disappear from television for years and return as if they had never left. Liu Yifei managed exactly that, rebuilding her small-screen legacy with carefully selected projects that emphasised mature storytelling over sheer volume.
10. Cheng Yi
Biggest hits: Love and Redemption, Stand by Me, Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Deep Lurk
Cheng Yi spent years in supporting roles before Love and Redemption defined him as a leading man in costume drama. He then moved into the Tang-dynasty palace drama Stand by Me before scoring another major success with Mysterious Lotus Casebook, the 2023 wuxia mystery in which he played former martial-arts master Li Xiangyi, now living as the wandering doctor Li Lianhua, became another major title in his filmography.
His subsequent Deep Lurk kept him in espionage territory, giving his recent filmography a useful change of register. iQIYI lists the 2024 series as a 38-episode Chinese espionage mystery starring Cheng Yi. With the way he curates his career choices, Cheng has sustained a remarkably visible run across costume romance, historical drama, wuxia mystery and espionage.
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11. Tan Jianci
Biggest hits: Under the Skin, Lost You Forever, Go East, Under the Skin 2
Tan Jianci’s rise has been unusually gradual. Under the Skin gave him a breakout as police portraitist Shen Yi, while Lost You Forever brought him much wider attention as Xiang Liu. He subsequently moved into the ensemble historical drama Go East before returning to his signature detective role in Under the Skin 2, which premiered in December 2024 and became one of the more visible streaming dramas of 2025.
His streak is less about one giant blockbuster than about repeatable audience interest. Across crime drama, historical romance and ensemble costume drama, Tan has steadily moved from a respected character actor and ensemble player into one of the more prominent young leads of his generation.
Sasha Lim Uy Mariposa is a lifestyle journalist who is known for her food writing. Based in Manila and currently a marketing content specialist, she still dabbles in entertainment, beauty and dining coverage. She was the former managing editor of Esquire Philippines and was the food editor at SPOT.ph. She also edited several best-selling books about food.
She now writes for the different Tatler Asia markets as a contributing writer for T-Labs.
