Chinese War & Politics TV Shows

Adapted from the classical 14th century novel of the same title by Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms is part historical, part legend, and part mythical – romanticises and dramatises the lives of feudal lords and their retainers, who tried to replace the dwindling Han dynasty or restore it. The focus is mainly on the three power blocs that emerged from the remnants of the Han dynasty, and would eventually form the three states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu.

The rise of the Qin state in the Warring States period during the reign of Duke Xiao of Qin.

The Legend of Qin follows the Qin dynasty from when the Emperor of the Qin, King Zheng conquered the other 6 nations and unified China, to the rise of the king of Western Chu, Xiang Yu, who capture the capital city, Xianyang.

The events in the late Qin Dynasty and the Chu–Han Contention that led to the founding of the Han Dynasty.

Heroes emerged in large numbers during the tumultuous and short-lived Sui to early Tang dynasty period. Most famous among them are Qin Qiong, Luo Cheng, Cheng Yao Jin, Shan Xiong Xin and Wei Chi Gong, known as the "Five Tigers of Sui and Tang", who would help Li Shi Min defeat rebels and rivals and pacify the land. The drama will start with the establishment of the Sui dynasty and end with Li Shi Min's ascension to the throne.

The story of Sima Yi, a great politician and strategist who lived during the Three Kingdoms era. By his side, Sima Yi has his politically-astute distaff members of his household, and pitted against them are the formidable Cao Cao and his heirs. After defending the Kingdom of Wei from Kongming formidable talents, who will end up with the ultimate power?

Wang Xuan and Xiao Qi strike a deal for the sake of power. They marry first before falling in love and join hands to protect their homeland. She is a woman who is no less than any man while he rose from humble beginnings. The imperial family has become rotten to the core. The nobles are lavish with no regard for the people. Princess Wang Xuan and her childhood sweetheart, the third prince, become pawns of a prophecy that states, "to acquire thee is to obtain the world." Being pulled into the matters of the court, Wang Xuan is married off by her father to Xiao Qi who comes from a poor family. On the night of their wedding, Xiao Qi is forced to leave the capital. Wang Xuan is shamed and discouraged. The Helan Prince kidnaps Wang Xuan in order to seek revenge on Xiao Qi. The crisis they face becomes a blessing in disguise for the couple. Wang Xuan is moved and inspired by Xiao Qi's wish to bring peace and prosperity to the nation and they fall in love.

Xie Huai'an, son of the Huben Army's creator, survives his family's massacre. After ten long years in hiding, he returns to Chang'an disguised as a lowly registrar, moving step by step through jianghu clashes and palace power plays in a tense battle of wits to avenge his family and safeguard the realm.

Li Chang Ge's family was murdered by Li Shi Min, the Emperor of Tang, during the Xuanwu Gate Incident. She heads to Shuo Province under the guise of a man with hopes of raising an army to kill Li Shi Min to avenge her family's death. However, as a captain of the army of Shuo Province in Zhangzhou, she loses a siege by the Eastern Turkic Khaganate General Ashina Sun, who takes her to serve him as a personal military strategist.

Set in the eponymous White Deer Village in Shaanxi Province where the two most important families – Bai and Lu – and their sons have always lived together in peace. But the turmoil leads to a fierce struggle for land ownership. A young woman new to the village soon finds herself caught between the two camps. Director Liu Jin uses the story of these two families as a metaphor for the fate of the Chinese people as first Chinese war lords are overrun by Japanese invaders, then civil war follows hot on the heels of the Second World War and finally the victorious Maoists begin waving their red flags. The drama is based off the novel by Chen Zhong Shi.

In 1910s China, nineteen year old Xie Xiang follows in her deceased brother's footsteps and enrolls in military school disguised as a man. She befriends her fellow cadets and and earns the respect of her instructors during the intense training. However, when the unfortunate arrival of the Imperial Japanese troops creates a web of distressing conspiracies, the batch and their allies are forced to prove their courage and resilience.

After the fall of his kingdom and the slaughter of his family, Prince Wu Geng is forced into slavery, but fueled by grief and guided by powerful allies, he rises to challenge the mighty Yun clan and reclaim his destiny.

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A love story revolves around the 9th Princess of Western Liang as she journeys to the Central Plains to fulfill a marriage alliance with the Crown Prince. Having received overwhelming love and admiration as the 9th Princess, Xiao Feng is forced to leave the life that she has known in order to become the Crown Princess. Her husband, the black-bellied Crown Prince, holds the highest position second only to one, the Emperor. However, the Eastern Palace is the most dangerous place to be. For political reasons, the Prince has no choice but to marry the Princess from a foreign land. He has his own favored concubine while she has her own life. Two parallel lines begin to intersect in a place fraught with danger and deadly power play and buried somewhere deep inside are memories that have yet to resurface.

After years away from her family, Gu Jinzhao returns home and begins a remarkable transformation, from a carefree young woman into a poised and influential noble lady. As questions of marriage arise, she refuses to follow tradition and holds firmly to her own beliefs about love. But when multiple men enter her life, each offering a different future, who will Gu Jinzhao choose?

This drama is set during the revolutionary time in Shanghai, based on a novel of the same name of Hai Fei. During the republican revolution, Chen Shen is a secret agent under Special Operations Executive Director Bi Zhongliang, among the agents called “sparrow” (similar to the program “zero” in Japan)

A legendary wuxia romance that focuses on the decade-long romance between Hei Fengxi and Bai Fengxi, and the adventures they embark on together.

In 1937 Beijing, a revered opera star and a businessman unite to preserve culture, love, and hope as their city falls under the shadow of invasion.

A princess descended from a ruined noble family disguises herself as the woman who saved her life and embarks on a mission to avenge her loved ones.

After an Allied plane carrying a top-secret WWII bombing plan is shot down behind enemy lines, a wounded survivor hides on a Japanese-occupied island while military intelligence races to recover the documents before they doom the entire operation.

During the period of the Republic of China, the cardamom talented girl Lin Hangjing was imprisoned because of her father’s murder. She went to her father’s friend Xiao Dashuai. Although she was under the fence, she was not humble or overbearing. Xiao Beichen, the overbearing three young master of the Xiao family, had bullied her from the very beginning to gradually attracted by her strong independence.

In post-war Shanghai, idealistic law graduate Gu Yaodong becomes a policeman, only to face corruption and political turmoil. Caught between the Communists and Nationalists, he teams up with unexpected allies and sets out on a path of resistance, determined to fight for justice.

In the war-ravaged land of Zichuan, a heroic general and his sworn brothers battle internal rebellion and an invading enemy. As they fight to protect their homeland and loved ones, they forge a powerful tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and the pursuit of peace.

Li Yunlong, a bold and unconventional leader during the War of Resistance, leads his battalion to victory against Japanese forces. Amid rivalry and friendship with fellow general Chu Yunfei, he is wounded in battle and later finds love with nurse Tian Yu, facing the challenges of war and changing times alongside his comrades and family.

A prophecy foretold that victory goes to the one who has the priestess' blessing. Yang Xue Wu, the last priestess of her clan, unwittingly embroiled in a war between Northern Qi and Northern Zhou. Although she foresees the tragic fate of Lan Ling Wang, the general of Northern Qi, she nonetheless falls in love with him and helps him win the war against Yuwen Yong, the king of Northern Zhou. But destiny can not be altered.

Towards the Republic, also known as For the Sake of the Republic and Zou Xiang Gong He, is a Chinese historical television series first broadcast on CCTV in China from April to May 2003. The series is based on events that occurred in China between the late 19th century and early 20th century that led to the collapse of the Qing Dynasty and the founding of the Republic of China. Owing to its portrayal of historical issues deemed politically sensitive by the Chinese government, the series has been subject to censorship in mainland China.

Late in the 10th century, the Liao dynasty is at the zenith of its power. The omnipotent Liao rule much of what is now Northeast China, Mongolia, Russia, and much of the Korean Peninsula. Prime Minister Xiao Si Wen and Princess Yan have three daughters, with the youngest, Xiao Chao, their favourite. Her heart belongs to the aspiring military commander, Han De Rang, whose family have served the Liao loyally for decades. However, her parents have other plans, sucessfully arranging her marriage to Liao Emperor, Jin Zhong, whom she eventually concedes to marry. As the Emperor’s queen, she becomes a fierce defender of the Liao by assisting in mobilizing the army, heading a 10,000-strong cavalry and providing support to the civil administration. Eventually, she will earn the title of Empress.

In 1945, Harbin has come under the rule of Japan's puppet state known as Manchukuo. Communist agent Song Zhuo Wen successfully infiltrates Harbin Secret Service where Guan Xue holds a post as the chief of special police.

Palace of Desire, also known as Da Ming Gong Ci, is a Chinese television series based on the life story of Princess Taiping, a daughter of China's only female emperor Wu Zetian. Directed by Li Shaohong and Zeng Nianping, the series starred Chen Hong, Zhou Xun, Gui Yalei and Winston Chao in the leading roles. It was first broadcast on CCTV-8 in mainland China on March 30, 2000.

The series is about the Chinese National Revolutionary Army Expeditionary Force in Burma fighting the Imperial Japanese Army during the 1942 Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road at the Second Sino-Japanese War. The Chinese troops landed in Burma to support the British allied forces operations. The aim was to protect the road since it served as an important supply route after China's ports fell under Japanese control. When the British forces withdrew their support and surrendered, part of the remaining Chinese troops was forced to abandon their heavy equipment and retreat in loose formations through the harsh Burmese jungles, experiencing constant enemy pursue and ambush. Of the 100,000 strong Chinese Expeditionary Force sent to fight, only around 40,000 returned home. The story follows a small group of soldiers being refuged in Yunnan, and is narrated through the eyes of a limping young Beiping student-turned-soldier named Meng Fanliao.

Childhood friends Chen Ke Hai and Fang Li went their separate ways and found themselves in the No. 76 secret service. In 1939, the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics created a special class to combat the No. 76 of Wang Jing Wei's regime, with the hope of resisting Japan. Chen Ke Hai, now a secret member of the Communist Party, returns to Shanghai with the mission of infiltrating No. 76, where Fang Li is the leader. The brutal experiments reveal the truth about the bureau. Chen and Fang are separated after a failed assassination attempt. Facing a drastically different Chen Ke Hai, Fang Li tests him and places an agent at his side. Chen Ke Hai struggles to convey valuable information to his party without backing down. After the war, the former colleagues have a final confrontation over their contrasting beliefs.

A century after the war between the Ice and Fire Tribes, Prince Ka Suo of the Ice Tribe becomes king, searching for his missing lover and brother. He uncovers a dark conspiracy within his tribe, unaware that his brother, now the Fire Prince with no memory of his past, is leading the Fire Tribe. As tensions rise, the brothers are forced into a new conflict, this time against each other.

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The story of Zhou Wen, a graduate of Whampoa Military Academy for rich kids. After being sentenced to death for murder, he was able to escape. Changing his name to Zhou Wei Guo and joining the military, he went on to create the special operations task force known as “Snow Leopard” to fight off the Japanese during WWII.

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Li Ni, the emperor’s overlooked grandson, lives freely as a border general until duty forces him to lead the campaign against a growing rebellion. On the battlefield, he repeatedly crosses paths with Cui Lin, the spirited daughter of a famed general who fights in disguise as a lieutenant. Their strategic duels and constant one-upmanship soon give way to a deeper bond, as rivalry slowly blossoms into love amid the chaos of war.

The series was adapted from Eryue He's historical novels, which are loosely based on historical events in the reigns of the Kangxi and Yongzheng Emperors in the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

An arrogant third master of a powerful family falls in love at first sight with a pretty young maiden and uses every means possible to force her hand in marriage, despite her harboring a crush on another man. In the beginning of a coerced marriage, she resents him and rejects all his advances and gestures of love, but their love story slowly develops after going through obstacles in times of war and chaos. However, things get complicated when her old flame returns and becomes her husband’s assistant.

A story that follows a Crown Prince who faces enemies from all sides and falls in love with a maidservant who wants to kill him. He is a son simply yearning for his father's love but is feared and suppressed due to his position. Despite the conflicts, the Crown Prince is a man willing to sacrifice his life and reputation for his country.

A haunting look at the horrors of Unit 731’s biological warfare, reflecting on history’s wounds and urging a hope for lasting peace.