LayarHijau.com — Many viewers fall in love with Chinese romantic dramas for their beautiful storylines, emotional moments, and captivating characters. It’s no surprise that after finishing a drama, some fans feel curious to check out the original web novels they’re based on. But before you dive in — whether you consider yourself conservative or not — you need to be mentally prepared: the tone and content of the novels can be very different from the drama adaptations.
In fact, several popular Chinese web novels, especially in the romance and fantasy genres, contain explicit scenes, including detailed romantic or sexual moments that never appear on screen. These novels are often written for adult audiences and explore the characters’ psychology, desires, and power dynamics in relationships — things that can feel much heavier or more mature compared to the sweet, restrained tone of the drama versions. It’s important to know this upfront so what you loved in the drama doesn’t surprise or even shock you in the novel.
Why Do Dramas and Novels Feel So Different?
The biggest difference comes from the regulations governing each medium. Chinese TV and web dramas fall under mass media, which means they must comply with strict government regulations, including those set by the National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA). These rules prohibit explicit s*xual content, n*dity, or overly passionate romantic scenes, especially on mainstream broadcasts or major streaming platforms. As a result, even if the original novel contains mature themes, the drama adaptation tones them down or removes them entirely to meet broadcasting standards and remain family-friendly.
In contrast, web novels are considered private entertainment, read individually by adults on specific platforms. While there are still content rules, novels face much looser restrictions, and platforms often classify stories into mature or adult categories. Writers have more freedom to explore sensitive or provocative topics, and explicit scenes aren’t always there for shock value — they often reveal character depth, emotional vulnerability, or moral complexity. That’s why the original novels can feel much less romantic or “safe” than the adaptations — and why readers should set their expectations before starting.
Not Always as Romantic as the Drama
From our editors’ personal experience, some novels adapted into drama are so different that they may even disappoint fans.
For example, the drama Who Rules the World, starring Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi, portrays a romantic story between two leads — a prince and a princess from rival kingdoms who meet in the martial world, compete, fall in love, and ultimately give up ambition for love. However, in the novel, their relationship is far more complicated. The two leads marry not for love, but for political interests. The female lead is fully aware of her husband’s grand ambition to conquer the world, and to protect her kingdom, she agrees to a political marriage to prevent a destructive power struggle. As a result, the romantic atmosphere found in the drama feels much less pronounced in the novel.
List of Novels With Explicit Scenes
Many online novels we’ve read — whether set in historical or modern times — include explicit content. Examples include:
The Legend of Shen Li
Blossom
The Glory
The Prisoner of Beauty
Youthful Glory
Are You the One
Hidden Shadow
Flourished Peony
Legend of the Female General
The Rebirth of Malicious Empress
Chasing Jade
Moonlit Reunion
Fight for Love
The First Frost
Eat, Run and Love
Love Has Fireworks
Love Song in Winter
Note: This list is by no means exhaustive — it only covers part of what we’ve read. There are many other novels that may also contain explicit content that we haven’t explored yet.
How Explicit Scenes Reveal Characterization
In some novels, intimate scenes aren’t just for spice — they serve to deepen character portrayal.
The Prisoner of Beauty
Wei Shao is portrayed as a tall, incredibly handsome man with strong charisma, commanding the respect of everyone around him. But behind his charm lies a cold, vengeful nature. His brutality shows in moments like when he orders a political rival — responsible for the deaths of his father and brother — to be slowly tortured to death.
Xiao Qiao is a modern-day woman transmigrated into the past. She isn’t just beautiful — she’s extraordinarily beautiful, attracting not only her ex-fiancé but also Wei Shao’s own cousin, sparking intense family conflict over their shared obsession.
Initially, Wei Shao feels nothing for Xiao Qiao, as her face only reminds him of the Qiao family’s betrayal. But as they grow closer, especially after they marry, his obsession surfaces. Wei Shao’s inner turmoil and physical dominance manifest in how he makes love to Xiao Qiao: sometimes intensely, for hours, without tiring, ignoring her pleas to slow down or stop, even when she cries from exhaustion. However, the author carefully avoids portraying their relationship as non-consensual, framing it instead as an expression of deep emotional conflict.
The First Frost
The intimate relationship between Sang Yan and Wen Yifan also reflects their personalities. Wen Yifan is portrayed as cold, calm, with a dark, sometimes absurd sense of humor. In intimate moments, her introverted nature comes through differently — she becomes somewhat passive and spoiled. For example, after making love, she’s so exhausted she asks Sang Yan to bathe her because she’s too lazy to do it herself, or she gets annoyed when he wakes her from a deep sleep.
Sang Yan, who waited a long time for Wen Yifan’s love, expresses his long-suppressed feelings through passionate encounters that last for hours. As a result, Wen Yifan’s body ends up covered in hickeys, including on her neck — a detail briefly shown in the drama. However, the novel adds more nuance, like how Sang Yan tenderly tends to her bruises afterward, something the drama omits entirely.
If you’re curious about reading the original novels, make sure you’re ready for the shift in tone, the deeper emotional conflicts, and the mature elements that might appear. This way, your reading experience will be richer — without the shock or disappointment of unmet expectations.
