10 C-drama writers behind China’s biggest hits

Speciality: political strategy, moral loyalty and long-form emotional payoffs

Defining hits: Nirvana in Fire, Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Changlin

Some C-drama writers create popular shows. Hai Yan created what many viewers consider the greatest historical C-drama ever made.

Before Nirvana in Fire became a television phenomenon starring Hu Ge, it was Hai Yan’s own novel. It was a sprawling tale of revenge, justice and political manoeuvring that would ultimately redefine expectations for costume dramas. Unlike many palace series that rely heavily on romance or shocking twists, Hai Yan builds her stories through strategy, patience and extraordinary attention to detail.

The brilliance of Nirvana in Fire lies in how every move matters. Conversations become weapons. Court appointments become battlefields. Tiny decisions made early in the story often trigger massive consequences dozens of episodes later. Audiences are rewarded not for watching passively but for paying attention.

At the centre of her work is an enduring fascination with loyalty: loyalty to friends, to family, to ideals and to the truth itself. Even when her characters operate within deeply corrupt systems, they remain driven by a profound belief that justice is worth pursuing.

Speciality: high-concept historical storytelling, sharp dialogue, political strategy and genre-blending narratives

Defining hits: Joy of Life, Sword Snow Stride, Young Blood

If there is one writer who represents the new generation of C-drama storytelling, it is Wang Juan.

Known for his ability to combine palace politics, martial arts, comedy, mystery and social commentary, Wang Juan has become one of the most sought-after C-drama writers in Chinese television. His shows are rarely built around simple heroes and villains. Instead, he creates worlds where every character has competing motivations, hidden agendas and believable reasons for their actions.

His breakthrough hit Joy of Life became a phenomenon because it refused to behave like a traditional historical drama. Beneath its humour and fourth-wall-breaking moments was an intricate story about power, corruption, identity and survival. The protagonist Fan Xian was not simply a chosen hero—he was a man navigating a dangerous political system where intelligence could be both his greatest weapon and biggest vulnerability.

What makes Wang Juan’s writing distinctive is his balance. He can deliver a hilarious scene one moment and a devastating political revelation the next. His stories feel accessible without sacrificing complexity, making them equally appealing to casual viewers and hardcore C-drama fans.

See more: 9 dreamy travel C-dramas that will immediately make you want to book a flight

Speciality: comforting modern romance and famously healthy relationships

Defining hits: You Are My Glory, Love O2O, My Sunshine

If modern romance had a comfort-food equivalent, it would probably be a Gu Man drama.

At a time when many romance stories relied on misunderstandings, jealous rivals and unnecessary emotional turmoil, Gu Man built an empire by doing the opposite. Her couples communicate and trust. They genuinely enjoy spending time together.

That may sound simple, but it proved revolutionary.

Whether following the esports romance of Love O2O or the aerospace-themed love story of You Are My Glory, Gu Man consistently creates relationships that feel aspirational rather than exhausting. Her protagonists are usually intelligent professionals who support each other’s ambitions instead of sabotaging them.

The result is a catalogue of dramas that viewers return to again and again whenever they need something reassuring. Long before “green flag male lead” became a popular Internet phrase, Gu Man was already writing them. She became the gold standard for low-conflict, high-satisfaction romance.

Speciality: prestige historical dramas and the psychology of power

Defining hits: The Advisors Alliance, Secret of the Three Kingdoms and Growling Tiger, Roaring Dragon 

While some C-drama writers focus on heroes, Chang Jiang is fascinated by systems.

His most acclaimed work reexamines the Three Kingdoms era not through its traditional legends but through the complicated figure of Sima Yi—a man often portrayed as either a villain or an opportunist. Instead of offering simple answers, Chang Jiang explores how ambitious individuals navigate impossible political environments where every decision carries life-or-death consequences.

His scripts are dense, intellectual and unapologetically demanding. Characters spend as much time studying motives and predicting future outcomes as they do fighting wars. This signature complexity is what earns him such admiration among serious drama fans. Rather than presenting history as a series of battles, Chang Jiang treats it as a contest of minds. Military victories matter, but psychological endurance, political instincts and strategic patience matter even more.

For viewers who love historical dramas that feel genuinely scholarly, few writers operate on a higher level.

Speciality: rebellious xianxia heroes, morally grey immortals and fantasy worlds that refuse to play by traditional rules

Defining hits: Love Between Fairy and Devil, The Blue Whisper, The Legend (Zhao Yao), The Legend of Shen Li

If modern xianxia is experiencing a global renaissance, Jiu Lu Fei Xiang deserves a significant share of the credit.

For years, fantasy dramas often revolved around pristine gods, endlessly self-sacrificing heroines and romances built on noble suffering. Jiu Lu Fei Xiang’s stories took one look at those conventions and gleefully flipped them upside down. Her worlds are populated by demon lords, powerful female warriors, mischievous antiheroes and immortals who are often just as flawed as the mortals around them.

Perhaps the best example is Dongfang Qingcang, played by Dylan Wang in Love Between Fairy and Devil. Rather than presenting audiences with a conventional romantic hero, the story asks viewers to fall in love with the most feared being in the Three Realms. The gamble paid off spectacularly, helping transform the drama into one of the biggest international fantasy hits of the decade.

What makes her work resonate is the emotional modernity beneath the fantasy. Her characters wrestle with identity, trauma, self-worth and personal freedom in ways that feel contemporary even when surrounded by magical realms and ancient mythology.

She didn’t just help revive xianxia—she helped redefine what it could be.

Speciality: epic historical romance, impossible choices and emotionally devastating love stories

Defining hits: Scarlet Heart, Lost You Forever, Sound of the Desert

Few C-drama writers understand heartbreak quite like Tong Hua.

Long before audiences were debating love triangles on social media, Tong Hua was crafting some of the most emotionally intense romantic sagas in Chinese entertainment. Her stories place characters in situations where every choice comes at a cost, forcing them to choose between love, loyalty, duty, survival and political reality.

Her breakthrough adaptation, Scarlet Heart, became one of the most influential dramas of the modern era, helping launch a wave of time-travel and historical romance series across Asia. More than a decade later, Lost You Forever once again demonstrated her ability to create emotionally complex relationships that keep audiences passionately divided over which character deserves happiness.

Tong Hua’s work rarely offers easy victories. Even when love exists, circumstances often conspire against it. The emotional stakes feel enormous because the characters genuinely have something precious to lose.

Speciality: mature romance, emotional intimacy and deeply comforting relationships

Defining hits: One and Only, Forever and Ever, Road Home, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love

If Gu Man perfected the modern “green flag” romance, Mo Bao Fei Bao elevated it into an art form.

Her stories are beloved for focusing on emotional maturity rather than manufactured drama. The conflicts rarely come from jealousy, misunderstandings or manipulative villains. Instead, they emerge from timing, circumstance, personal growth and the challenges of balancing love with life’s responsibilities.

Her most famous pairing of dramas, One and Only and Forever and Ever, showcased this philosophy beautifully. The former delivered a tragic historical romance starring Bai Lu and Ren Jialun, while the latter rewarded viewers with a modern love story that felt like healing after heartbreak.

Across her body of work, audiences find doctors, scientists, athletes, police officers and professionals who fall in love without losing their individuality. The romances feel aspirational because they are rooted in mutual respect.

Speciality: adventure mysteries, ancient tombs and sprawling treasure-hunting mythology.

Defining hits: The Lost Tomb, Ultimate Note, The Mystic Nine, Tomb of the Sea

Some C-drama writers create individual hit dramas. Nan Pai San Shu created an entire universe.

Best known as the author behind the enormously successful Daomu Biji (The Lost Tomb) franchise, he transformed archaeological adventure into one of China’s most enduring entertainment phenomena. His stories marry ancient legends, secret organisations, cryptic puzzles and supernatural mysteries into sprawling adventures that span multiple novels, dramas, films and spin-offs.

At the centre of the franchise is the iconic trio of Wu Xie, Zhang Qiling and Wang Pangzi, characters who have inspired one of the most passionate fandoms in Chinese entertainment.

Part Indiana Jones, part conspiracy thriller and part supernatural mystery, Nan Pai San Shu’s work helped prove that C-dramas could build massive franchise ecosystems beyond romance and palace intrigue.

Speciality: psychological crime fiction, moral ambiguity and prestige suspense

Defining hits: The Bad Kids, The Long Night, Burning Ice

If modern Chinese crime dramas have a literary godfather, it is probably Zi Jin Chen.

His novels became the foundation of some of the most acclaimed suspense dramas of the last decade, particularly through iQIYI’s groundbreaking Light On Theatre initiative. These adaptations introduced viewers to a darker, more sophisticated style of storytelling that favoured psychological realism over procedural formulas.

What makes Zi Jin Chen’s work so compelling is his fascination with ordinary people placed in extraordinary moral situations. His stories rarely divide characters into simple heroes and villains. Instead, they explore how fear, desperation, ambition and circumstance can slowly push individuals toward irreversible decisions.

The Long Night remains one of the most powerful examples of this approach, using a murder investigation to examine corruption, sacrifice and the staggering personal cost of pursuing justice.

At a time when many crime dramas focused on catching criminals, Zi Jin Chen became interested in something far more unsettling: understanding how people become them.

NOW READ

10 C-dramas rooted in real history

Wardrobe wonder: 9 spectacular C-drama costumes

12 prestige C-dramas that redefined Chinese television