Not Just 'Bai Hua Sha' is Good! Top 10 High-Rated Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years Released: The Champion with 8.6 Points is Unmatched, It's a Shame Not to Catch Up

Meng Zi Yi and He Yu's ancient costume drama 'Bai Hua Sha' recently concluded with a grand finale. Xiao Hua Yong chose to fake his death to pave the way for Chen Xin and her son, with Chen Xin helping her young son ascend the throne and becoming the regent. Four years later, Xiao Hua Yong returned after detoxification, and the family of three finally reunited, reigniting the audience's enthusiasm for watching ancient costume dramas. Which other dramas in the past three years have both compelling plots, acting, and word-of-mouth? This article focuses on ancient costume dramas broadcast in mainland China from 2024 to 2026, comprehensively analyzing Douban ratings, number of reviews, online discussion volume, and audience reviews to compile the top 10 most-watched ancient costume dramas in the past three years, from 'Guo Se Fang Hua' to 'Tang Chao Gui Shi Lu: Xi Xing'. See how many you've watched.

Top 10 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Yang Yang, Jin Chen 'Fan Ren Xian Xian Zhuan' / Douban Rating: 7.5 'Fan Ren Xian Xian Zhuan' is adapted from the novel by Wang Yu and tells the story of Han Li, a man from an ordinary mountain village, who joins a sect and grows step by step in the dangerous world of cultivation through careful judgment, hard practice, and survival wisdom. The drama does not portray the protagonist as a cheat who is chosen by heaven but retains the core of the original work, 'ordinary people changing their fate by themselves'. The vast worldview, sect struggles, and cultivation system also have the attraction of chasing the drama. Audience opinions on the degree of adaptation and some character settings are divided, but the visual quality and cultivation atmosphere are generally praised. Some netizens say 'the quality is not bad', and some say after watching 'it's great, really good', believing that the work has brought out the scale of the Eastern cultivation world; original fans have more discussions on character rewriting and acting methods.

Top 9 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Ren Jialun, Song Zuer 'Wu You Du' / Douban Rating: 7.6 'Wu You Du' is an ancient costume fantasy drama with Chinese-style strange colors, strung together by multiple episodic stories of human and monster encounters. Ren Jialun plays Xuan Ye, a monster catcher who can see monsters, and Song Zuer plays Ban Xia, who can also sense monsters. The two gradually get closer during the investigation of strange events. The drama reflects human nature's obsession, regret, and emotions through monster stories, with a dark beauty akin to 'Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio'. Netizens praise the episodic cases for their coherence and logical consistency, with some appreciating Ban Xia's 'weak but not fragile, intelligent and brave' personality. The restrained and restrained romantic line between Ren Jialun and Song Zuer is also an important reason for audiences to keep watching.

Top 8 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Yu Shuxin, Ding Yuxi 'Yong Ye Xing He' / Douban Rating: 7.6 'Yong Ye Xing He' combines book crossing, system tasks, monster catching, and fantasy romance. Yu Shuxin plays Ling Miao Miao, who accidentally enters a novel world and must complete tasks and attack Ding Yuxi's Mu Sheng to return to reality. The fast pace, cute animations, and game-like settings reduce the heaviness of the xianxia drama. Ling Miao Miao and Mu Sheng's interactions are full of contrast as they go from mutual testing to gradually falling in love. Audience reviews of the first half are very positive, with some netizens describing the work as 'funny and stress-relieving', believing that Yu Shuxin and Ding Yuxi have naturally performed the cuteness and ambiguity of their roles. However, the later plot has caused controversy, with some bluntly stating 'cute in the beginning, boring in the middle, and absurd in the end', showing that the ending performance is the most controversial part of the entire drama.

Top 7 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Zhang Wan Yi, Wang Chu Ran 'Liu Zhou Ji' / Douban Rating: 7.7 'Liu Zhou Ji' unfolds with amnesia and a fake husband-wife relationship. Wang Chu Ran plays Liu Mian Tang, who has lost her memory, and is misled by Zhang Wan Yi's Cai Xing Zhou to believe that he is her husband. The two act as loving husband and wife while secretly testing each other's identity. Under the light-hearted comedy shell lies the layout of power struggles and the tug-of-war of trust. The romantic line does not rely on intense suffering to drive it, but lets the characters reconnect after the deception is exposed. Some netizens praise 'the background, plot, and character settings are particularly good', describing the overall impression as 'like a new-style tea drink'; some viewers think this is a 'detailed drama, and the acting is just right'. Zhang Wan Yi's dark-heartedness and Wang Chu Ran's bright and charming temperament form a striking contrast, and their daily life as a couple has become the most popular part of the entire drama.

Top 6 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Meng Zi Yi, Li Yun Rui 'Jiu Chong Zi' / Douban Rating: 7.8 'Jiu Chong Zi' starts with rebirth and changing one's fate. Meng Zi Yi plays Dou Zhao, who has lost trust in family and marriage, and decides to take control of his own destiny after being reborn. He joins forces with Song Mo, who is also trapped in a family predicament, to break through the situation. The work combines home battles, family power struggles, court turmoil, and love. The pace in the early stages is fast, with dense character relationships and suspense, which has made the originally low-profile work a dark horse at the end of the year. Many netizens praise it for having 'tight plots without padding, and the actors' performances are on point'. The combination of Meng Zi Yi and Li Yun Rui is also described as a surprising 'fresh pairing'. The two main characters go from mutual exploitation, fighting side by side, to truly trusting each other. The development of emotions and the power struggle mainline are closely connected, without letting the love story slow down the story.

Top 5 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Yang Zi, Li Xian 'Guo Se Fang Hua' / Douban Rating: 7.8 'Guo Se Fang Hua' is set in the Tang Dynasty, with Yang Zi playing He Wei Fang, who is skilled in cultivating peonies. After leaving a marriage full of calculations, she goes to Chang'an and establishes herself in business with her own skills, gradually becoming partners with Jiang Chang Yang, played by Li Xian, from a business cooperation. The drama combines flower culture, female entrepreneurship, marriage dilemmas, and patriotic feelings, with costumes, makeup, and Tang Dynasty street scenes also forming a striking visual feature. From the beginning of the broadcast, there were netizens praising 'the pace of the first few episodes is so fast, the quality is so strong', and some directly exclaimed 'Yang Zi's makeup is so beautiful'. Some viewers think the story 'has high aspirations', and He Wei Fang does not wait for others to save her, but after leaving the wrong marriage, she rebuilds her career and life. The growth line is more powerful than general ancient romance dramas.

Top 4 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Yang Xufeng, Yang Zhigang 'Tang Dynasty Strange Records: Chang'an' / Douban Rating: 8.1 'Tang Dynasty Strange Records: Chang'an' continues the detective journey of Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng. After returning to Chang'an, they are once again drawn into the struggle for power and strange cases. The third season combines Chinese strange legends, historical anecdotes, and Chang'an's market life, with larger-scale cases and the mainline further touching on courtly power and character fate, maintaining the series' signature suspense atmosphere. Netizens think this season's 'costumes, scene settings, color matching, and action design are all exquisite', and some say the overall 'quality and standards are on point', believing that 8.1 points are still on the low side. Although the pace and reasoning rigor of some cases are challenged, the familiar detective team, strange aesthetics, and Tang Dynasty atmosphere still maintain stable word-of-mouth.

Top 3 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Zhao Benshan, Li Xiaoke 'Magpie Blade Gate Legend Season 2' / Douban Rating: 8.2 'Magpie Blade Gate Legend Season 2' is a martial arts sitcom. Zhao Benshan plays two identical twins with completely different personalities, leading a group of unreliable sect disciples to roam the Jianghu. The drama packages martial arts grudges with Northeast comedy rhythm, with the humor coming from the collision of character personalities and Jianghu rules, while retaining solid action scenes and chivalrous spirit, which is particularly rare in recent ancient costume dramas. Some viewers describe it as 'a martial arts sitcom that is even more martial arts than martial arts dramas', and some, after seeing the action scenes, exclaim 'the fight scenes are so cool'. The work does not rely on dense dialogue to make people laugh, but lets the sect's daily life, character bonds, and Jianghu satire intertwine, with the comedy still retaining the hot-bloodedness of traditional martial arts.

Top 2 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Bai Yu, Zhou Yitong 'Tai Ping Nian' / Douban Rating: 8.3 'Tai Ping Nian' focuses on the historical changes from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms to the early Northern Song Dynasty. Bai Yu plays Qian Hongchu, the king of Wuyue, Zhou Yitong plays Sun Taizhen, and Zhu Yawen plays Zhao Kuangyin. The work cuts into personal choices in the midst of chaos, depicting how Qian Hongchu makes choices between war, power, and the safety of the people, and moves towards the historical outcome of 'returning land to Song'. The rigorous atmosphere of the times and the heavy portrayal of characters make it a rare historical drama in recent years. Some netizens think 'the potential of the dramatization of obscure history is actually very large', affirming that the work has presented the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms in a complete framework that is rarely presented in dramas. Some viewers think that the leading actors in the segments with a large age span of the characters 'are a bit hard to bear', but the court struggles, war scenes, and historical character portraits are still highly praised.

Top 1 Most-Watched Ancient Costume Dramas in the Past 3 Years: Yang Xufeng, Yang Zhigang 'Tang Dynasty Strange Records: Xi Xing' / Douban Rating: 8.6 'Tang Dynasty Strange Records: Xi Xing' continues the detective journey of Lu Lingfeng, Su Wuming, and others in the west, using multiple cases with different styles to connect strange legends, local customs, and human desires. Each case is superficially filled with ghostly colors, but the truth is often related to power, greed, prejudice, or emotional obsession. The drama achieves a good balance between reasoning rhythm, action design, scene art, and character portrayal, making it the most stable word-of-mouth ancient costume detective drama in the past three years. Many viewers think that the second season has comprehensively surpassed the previous work, with some even leaving messages saying 'Tang Wei 2 came to teach you how to make dramas'. Each episode has a complete beginning, middle, and end, and the members of the detective team gradually form a tacit understanding. The partnership between Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming, one martial and one literary, becomes more mature, and the supporting actors and case characters can also leave memorable points, making it reasonable to win the championship.