Okay, I’ll admit it\u2014I’m a sucker for a good romance. It’s a timeless genre that people keep coming back to because it\u2019s sweet, compelling and emotional\u2014and many Chinese movies hit that spot perfectly.<\/p>\n
Check out the Chinese romance movies below that touch on different kinds of love, from breezy teenage love to more complicated love that stretches out over the years.<\/p>\n
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Chinese Title:<\/strong> \u5fae\u5fae\u4e00\u7b11\u5f88\u503e\u57ce Gaming is a huge industry in China, and Love O2O depicts it realistically, with plenty of romance thrown in.<\/p>\n Xiao Nai is a gaming expert who\u2019s popular at his university. While he\u2019s gaming online, he notices a skilled female player and pursues her in real life. It turns out that her name is Wei Wei and she\u2019s a computer science major at his school.<\/p>\n Their relationship then develops both online and offline, from pursuing gaming tournaments together to dealing with skeptics.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a drama version<\/a> too, but personally I like the movie better.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n Chinese Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u6211\u5728\u6642\u9593\u76e1\u982d\u7b49\u4f60 Lin Ge, a talented musician, is best friends with Qiu Qian. She\u2019s an aspiring dancer\u2014and he happens to be deeply in love with her.<\/p>\n A tragedy happens that cuts short their friendship, though. To prevent it from happening, Lin Ge travels back through time so he can help Qiu Qian have a better life, even if it means sacrificing some years of his life.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a tearjerker of a movie that shows what people would be willing to do for love, and I still can\u2019t forget about the ending. Its Chinese title literally means: \u201cI will wait for you at the end of time.\u201d<\/p>\n Chinese Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u5c11\u5e74\u7684\u4f60 This Oscar-nominated movie tackles a difficult (but very relevant topic): school bullying.<\/p>\n Chen Nian, a top student, becomes a victim of severe bullying. Since she\u2019s preparing for the gaokao<\/em> exams<\/a>, which will determine her college prospects, she\u2019s under a lot of pressure and becomes even more isolated. \u00a0<\/p>\n Luckily, she finds someone who can defend her from the bullies: Xiao Bei, another student who\u2019s street-smart and gruff. He then teaches to stand up for herself, while she encourages him to break free from his troubled past.<\/p>\n It got me thinking a lot because it\u2019s a very intense watch, and some of the content can be quite graphic.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chinese Title:<\/strong>\u00a0 \u5f8c\u4f86\u7684\u6211\u5011 \u201cUs and Them\u201d is a poignant love story that\u2019s one of my favorite Chinese movies.<\/p>\n Jianqing and Xiaoxiao are twenty-somethings who meet by chance while they\u2019re going home for the New Year. They\u2019re both from the same small town, with dreams of making it big in Beijing.<\/p>\n Both of them eventually settle down in Beijing together, but it soon takes its toll on them. As a game designer, Jianqing has to deal with a cutthroat industry, while Xiaoxiao struggles to find her direction in life. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The movie explores their story over ten years\u2014throughout the course of their relationship, but also the aftermath.<\/p>\n Chinese Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u5f52\u6765 \u201cComing Home\u201d is set during the Cultural Revolution<\/a> in the 1970s, and it\u2019s a moving (but not melodramatic) story about a married couple who try to love each other despite being separated. It features Gong Li<\/a> too!<\/p>\n Lu Yanshi is a rebellious intellectual who gets sent to a labor camp as a prisoner. Meanwhile, his wife, Feng Wanyu, has to raise his daughter on her own.<\/p>\n When Lu is finally freed from the labor camp, he\u2019s excited to return home, but then he discovers that Feng has developed amnesia and doesn\u2019t remember him at all\u2014and he has to painstakingly rebuild their relationship.<\/p>\n Chinese Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u6211\u7684\u7236\u4eb2\u6bcd\u4eb2 \u201cThe Road Home\u201d is a must-watch if you\u2019re exploring Chinese cinema. In fact, I\u2019d say it\u2019s one of the greatest Chinese movies of all time.<\/p>\n Zhao Di, a young woman in a rural village, falls in love with someone unexpected: Luo Changyu, who\u2019s a schoolteacher temporarily assigned there. But their relationship is opposed by Zhao Di\u2019s traditional father, who wants her to marry a wealthy, older man.<\/p>\n Still, they\u2019re determined to continue their relationship, even if in secret, and even when Changyu has to transfer to another village. \u00a0<\/p>\n Zhang Ziyi\u2019s<\/a> acting as Zhao Di is phenomenal here!<\/p>\n Chinese Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u7f8e\u4eba\u9c7c \u201cThe Mermaid\u201d is directed by the famous Stephen Chow<\/a>, and it\u2019s done in his signature style, with a wacky plot you haven\u2019t seen anywhere before. In fact, it\u2019s one of the top grossing films ever in China.<\/p>\n A wealthy businessman, Liu Xuan, wants to develop a coastal area, but what he doesn\u2019t know is a community of mermaids lives there. To stop his business plans, the merpeople send Shan, a beautiful mermaid, to seduce and assassinate him.<\/p>\n Shan goes undercover as an employee at his company, but her efforts to kill him keep falling flat as Xuan gets more affectionate towards her.<\/p>\n Chinese Title: <\/strong>\u5c71\u6942\u6811\u4e4b\u604b This movie also takes place during the Cultural Revolution.<\/p>\n Jingqiu, a smart and determined young woman, is sent to a rural village for re-education. There, she encounters Lao San, a local boy who works as a laborer.<\/p>\n Despite their different backgrounds and society\u2019s norms back then, they decide to be together.<\/p>\n Their relationship is tested, though, when Jingqiu has to go back to the city for her studies.<\/p>\n The story depicts a kind of pure love that\u2019s hard to see in modern movies. It\u2019s directed by Zhang Yimou<\/a>, who came up with other iconic movies like \u201cThe Road Home\u201d and \u201cRaise the Red Lantern.\u201d<\/a> Chinese Title:<\/strong> \u4e0d\u80fd\u8bf4\u7684\u79d8\u5bc6 Megastar singer Jay Chou<\/a> might be the lead actor, director and writer of this classic Taiwanese romance film, but it\u2019s also popular because it\u2019s really good.<\/p>\n Ye Xianglun is a piano student who transfers to a new school with a prestigious music program. When he hears a beautiful solo being played on an old piano, he\u2019s immediately intrigued and stumbles on Lu Xiaoyu, a mysterious girl who\u2019s very talented with the piano.<\/p>\n They connect deeply over their shared passion for music, but then Xianglun discovers a major secret that affects both of them\u2014and it\u2019s hard for him to believe at first. Chinese Title: <\/strong>\u6211\u7684\u5c11\u5973\u6642\u4ee3 If you\u2019re looking for a lighthearted teen romance, then add \u201cOur Times\u201d to your watchlist.<\/p>\n Lin Truly is stuck in a mundane job and reminiscing about her high school days. The movie then rewinds to the 1990s, when Truly is still a high school student.<\/p>\n She\u2019s clumsy, a bit of a nerd and often bullied. But she finds an unexpected ally in Hsu Taiyu, the school\u2019s bad boy. While they don\u2019t get along at first, they team up to help each other with their crushes, only to catch feelings for each other.<\/p>\n While I’ve seen similar storylines before (as a fan of romantic movies!), I still like it a lot because it\u2019s very sweet and heartfelt.<\/p>\n Chinese Title: <\/strong>\u523b\u5728\u4f60\u5fc3\u5e95\u7684\u540d\u5b57 \u201cYour Name Engraved Herein\u201d is a gay romantic movie that\u2019s set in the 1980s, back when martial law was just lifted in Taiwan.<\/p>\n Jia-han and Birdy are two high school students in an all-boys Catholic school who develop feelings for each other.<\/p>\n Jia-han notices it first because he\u2019s more open about his sexuality, while Birdy is more reserved and conflicted. Because of the conservative attitude during that time, they end up keeping their relationship a secret.<\/p>\n As a love story, it depicts how love can be both beautiful and painful, all while the two boys are searching for acceptance too. Chinese Title:<\/strong> \u5f53\u7537\u4eba\u604b\u7231\u65f6 This is a well-done remake of the 2014 Korean original<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hao Ting doesn\u2019t know how to pay off her father\u2019s heavy debts. When A Cheng, a debt collector, chases after her, he comes up with an unusual proposal: if she dates him, he\u2019ll erase his father\u2019s debt.<\/p>\n Hao Ting hates the idea of it at first, but then she notices that there\u2019s a softer side to him. She compels A Cheng to change his life, but it\u2019s not as easy to throw off his dark past. \u00a0<\/p>\n I felt a whirlwind of emotions while watching this because it does a great job of blending laugh-out-loud moments with raw, poetic scenes.<\/p>\n Chinese Title: <\/strong>\u6d88\u5931\u7684\u60c5\u4eba\u8282 If you\u2019re a fan of the French romantic comedy \u201cAmelie,\u201d<\/a> then don\u2019t miss out on this quirky Taiwanese movie.<\/p>\n Xiao Chi has a strange problem: she constantly lives her life a step ahead of others. For example, she answers questions before they\u2019re even asked and misses the bus constantly.<\/p>\n Still, she\u2019s excited to spend Valentine\u2019s Day with a cute guy. When Valentine\u2019s Day comes, though, she\u2019s about to head to town but then suddenly finds herself in bed again\u2014and it\u2019s already the day after Valentine\u2019s.<\/p>\n She has no idea what happened, and the movie unravels it in an intriguing way.<\/p>\n Chinese Title:\u00a0<\/strong>\u975e\u8bda\u52ff\u6270 \u201cIf You Are the One\u201d is a funny take on what it\u2019s like to search for love online as a 40-year-old. It has Ge You<\/a> as the lead actor, and he does an impressive job here.<\/p>\n Qin Fen, a middle-aged entrepreneur, gets wealthy after selling a successful invention, but he hasn\u2019t found love yet.<\/p>\n He turns to online dating and experiences misadventures with women who have different motives, from being after his money to only wanting a fairytale-like romance.<\/p>\n Liang Xiaoxiao isn\u2019t like the others, though. She\u2019s independent, witty and charming\u2014but it\u2019s an unconventional setup because she\u2019s much younger than him.<\/p>\n Chinese Title: \u71c3\u51ac \u201cThe Breaking Ice\u201d is a unique Chinese-Singaporean film where you\u2019ll hear both Mandarin and Korean.<\/p>\n Nana and Xiao live in Yanji<\/a>, a Chinese border town next to North Korea. Nana seems like a cheerful bus tour guide, but she feels tired inside. Xiao, a local restaurant worker, has a similar restlessness and longing to escape.<\/p>\n They then get entangled in a love triangle with Haofang, who\u2019s an awkward newcomer from Shanghai. All three of them have a deep sense of loneliness, but they search for warmth and hope in each other.<\/p>\n I was blown away by the gorgeous winter landscapes in this arthouse-style film.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n These Chinese romance movies will have you feeling the sparks and chemistry between the characters. If you\u2019re a romantic like me, you\u2019ll be rooting for them even after you\u2019ve finished watching.<\/p>\n For more great movie and show recommendations, see:<\/p>\n 57 Best Chinese Movies of All Time [Fresh for 2024]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/strong>Where to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n2. Love You Forever (2019)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Disney Plus<\/a><\/p>\n3. Better Days (2019)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch: <\/strong>Amazon Prime<\/a> |\u00a0Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n4. Us and Them (2018)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n5. Coming Home (2014)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n6. The Road Home (1999)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Amazon Prime<\/a><\/p>\n7. The Mermaid (2016)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch:<\/strong> Amazon Prime<\/a> | Disney Plus<\/a><\/p>\n8. Under the Hawthorn Tree (2010)<\/h2>\n
\n<\/strong>Where to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n9. Secret (2007)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch: <\/strong>Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n10. Our Times (2015)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch: <\/strong>Disney Plus<\/a><\/p>\n11. Your Name Engraved Herein (2020)<\/h2>\n
\n<\/strong>Where to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n12. Man in Love (2021)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Netflix<\/a><\/p>\n13. My Missing Valentine (2020)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch: <\/strong>Disney Plus<\/a><\/p>\n14. If You Are the One (2008)<\/h2>\n
\nWhere to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n15. The Breaking Ice (2023)<\/h2>\n
\n<\/strong>Where to Watch:\u00a0<\/strong>Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n