The year 2025 has seen extremely fierce competition in China’s TV drama market. Streaming platforms accelerated, major TV networks continued to launch new primetime slots, meaning each new drama faced hundreds of rivals. In this context, not only have social media metrics such as likes, shares and views become the benchmark, but television ratings have remained a key indicator of mass audience penetration.
Interestingly, despite having huge online traffic, many big-name stars have not reached incredible numbers of traditional television viewers. A notable case is that of Xiao Zhan, who dominates online audiences, but in terms of traditional TV ratings, still lost to Yang Yang.
Here are the top 5 Chinese TV dramas (by TV rating) in 2025:
1. The Immortal Ascension —Yang Yang, Kim Shen
During the first half of 2025, very few Chinese drama series produced such a ratings shock The Immortal Ascension. Based on the hugely popular novel of the same name, the drama had a wide readership. However, historically many cultivation dramas had failed, so this title was initially expected to struggle both commercially and in television ratings.
Yet, after it aired on national TV, ratings exploded, rising to N.1 nationallybecoming a historic “return” hit for 2025.
What did he appeal to? The story of Han Li, an ordinary teenager forced into the path of cultivation, who is not born extremely gifted but must fight, resist, and almost die repeatedly to advance. That “from nothing to hero” the tune resonated with mass audiences. Yang Yang’s performance was key to the genre’s success “new blood”.
2. Under the skin Ⅱ —Dan Jian Shu, Kim La Gia
After the success of the first season, Under the skin Ⅱ has quickly established itself as one of the most beloved crime series of recent years. It centers on the collaboration between forensic painter Shen Yi and police captain Du Cheng.
From the second day of broadcast, online views exceeded 53 million, demonstrating the strong attraction of protagonists Tan Jian Ci and Shim Shi Jia. The second season was praised for deeper and more complex plots, with “connected chain” cases of style that kept viewers glued.
Its excellent ratings have placed it among the best crime films of 2025 and it has become a major competitor both online and on television.
3. The Legend of ZangHai — Xiao Zhan, Zhang Jing Ni
The Legend of ZangHai it had to be Xiao Zhan’s great all-round success, especially considering his genre (historical-political/palace intrigue) which is his forte. The story: Wang Zanghai is the only survivor of his clan’s massacre; after 10 years of cultivation he returns to the capital with a new identity, infiltrates the enemy power structure to demand justice for his family.
With a strong cast including Xiao Zhan, Zhang Jing Ni, Zhou Qi, Huang Jiao, Qiu Zhen Wu, the drama quickly became a social media focal point. Its Vlinkage (online influence) index has surpassed 90+, placing it among the rare stocks in 2025 with that scale.
However, unlike the online realm, broadcast television ratings declined, from approximately 1.74% to 1.42%. The heavier plot of political intrigue required high audience attention, making it less suitable for general prime time viewers.
Despite this, its online performance has been overwhelming, warranting The Legend of ZangHai remains one of the most important productions of the year.
4. Flowering peony — Yang Zi, Li Xian
If The Legend of ZangHai it was the “king of online”Then Flowering peony it was the “queen of views”with over 14.4 billion total online views and a Douban score of 7.8 – impressive for a historical drama starring a woman.
The story follows He Weifang, a Tang Dynasty woman fighting for independence in a patriarchal society. The narrative of escaping a forced marriage, building a career and meeting Jiang Chang Yang (Li Xian) strongly appealed to younger audiences. Yang Zi once again proved her constant popularity: emotionally rich, recognizable, suitable for the image of a strong but vulnerable female protagonist.
5. Bleach — Guo Jing Fei, Wang Tian Yuan
While major projects competed for first place, Bleach has unexpectedly emerged as true “dark horse”. The modern survival-crime series, with a tight narrative and few flaws, focuses on the journey of Zhen Zhen (played by Zhao Jin Mai) through high-voltage challenges.
It impressed with its intelligent narrative, not relying on loud promotion but quietly attracting a large audience. On iQIYI its heat index surpassed 9,500 and was expected to reach the rare threshold of 10,000 for the platform.
Zhao Jin Mai earned high praise for her mature performance, fully expressing her character’s emotional arc in a tense and mysterious setting. Bleach’s TV ratings have steadily increased, maintaining a high position among modern dramas at the start of the year.
