LayarHijau – 2025 has seen iQIYI release a staggering number of popular dramas, ranging from Chen Xiao’s Legend of Magnate (大生意人) to Yang Xuwen’s latest installment in the Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty series, To Chang’an.
Other major releases like The Best Thing (starring Zhang Linghe), Fated Hearts (with Li Qin), Moonlight Mystique (featuring Bai Lu), and The Demon Hunter’s Romance (led by Ren Jialun) also dominated conversations. High viewership, rave reviews, and a positive reputation created fierce competition. While some popular titles didn’t manage to secure a high Douban score, others were both hits with the public and critical darlings.
Here is the definitive list of iQIYI’s top 10 highest-rated dramas on Douban for 2025!
This Thriving Land (Douban Score 7.2)
Starring Yang Mi and Oho Ou, this drama sees Yang Mi return in a genre vastly different from her previous idol-focused projects like Fox Spirit Matchmaker or Eternal Love. This Thriving Land is a serious rural drama featuring the story of Ning Xiuxiu, a village woman. Yang Mi’s performance here has been widely praised for being mature, strong, and resolute, moving past older criticisms about repetitive acting.
Ning Xiuxiu, the daughter of the wealthiest family in Tianniu Temple village, is kidnapped on her wedding day. When her father refuses to sell land to pay the ransom, she chooses to cut ties with her family and marry the village man, Feng Dajiao, who saved her from bandits. The drama explores the ups and downs of village life and became one of iQIYI’s unexpected “dark horses” of 2025.
Legend of Magnate (Douban Score 7.3)
This costume drama, led by Chen Xiao and Sun Qian, secured a 7.3 on Douban. Legend of Magnate is considered one of the best-reputed historical dramas of the year. Its classic visual aesthetic, high production quality, and business-centric storyline set against the backdrop of the late Qing Dynasty instantly captured attention.
The protagonist, Gu Pingyuan, is exiled to Ningguta—a snowy region populated by dangerous criminals—but this is where his life journey truly begins. The seemingly meek Gu Pingyuan harbors fierce ambition, using his intelligence to navigate dark powers. Starting from the tea trade to salt, he eventually unites regional merchants to save the common people.
Be Her Resilience (Douban Score 7.5)
Starring Wang Yifei and Peng Yaqi, Be Her Resilience is uniquely a short-form drama that managed to achieve a high Douban rating. The series explores a “switch identity” theme: the biological daughter Song Jiayu and the fake daughter Huo Ran initially despise, compete with, and frame one another. However, once the truth is revealed, they become allies, working together to seek revenge.
There are no distracting romantic subplots—the entire story relies on the two female leads. Viewers commended the script’s tight pacing and how the protagonists consistently make smart moves from start to finish.
A Love Never Lost (Douban Score 7.5)
This drama, featuring Li Xian and Chun Xia, was delayed for years but finally aired to positive reviews. The cinematography is beautiful, and the atmosphere is powerfully rendered, depicting the tumultuous period of the late Qing Dynasty. The story centers on several young people struggling amidst harsh historical currents—the changing times, tragedy, and sacrifice. Li Xian, since his popularity in Go Go Squid!, has shown significant growth, choosing more artistic projects like A Love Never Lost, Will Love in Spring, and Meet Yourself.
Mobius (Douban Score 7.5)
Starring Bai Jingting and Janice Man, this thriller brings a time loop concept similar to the hit drama Reset. The first episode immediately plunges into a brutal bank explosion that repeats five times in a time cycle. There is no slow burn—every scene is tense, action-packed, and moves the mystery forward. Police officer Ding Qi is the only one aware of the time cycle and uses the opportunity to uncover conspiracies. As more loops unfold, it becomes clear he is not the only person holding the “time key.”
The Demon Hunter’s Romance (Douban Score 7.5)
Though Ren Jialun’s other drama, Love and Crown (with Peng Xiaoran), received a negative response, his drama with Song Zuer proved successful. This costume drama, with a supernatural flair reminiscent of classic Chinese tales, adopts an anthology format—each episode is a self-contained story with a strong mysterious atmosphere.
The narrative cleverly blends supernatural elements, wisdom, and the darker aspects of human nature. Ren Jialun delivers a stable performance with his signature charisma, while Song Zuer brings a gentle yet firm color, making them an unexpectedly fitting pair. The overall atmosphere of the drama is frequently hailed as the “most cohesive and soulful” among the 2025 releases.
Trident Season 2 (Douban Score 7.7)
This crime drama, starring Chen Jianbin, Dong Yong, and Hao Ping, may be less known internationally, but its first season (2020) earned a high 7.5 Douban score. The second season maintains the quality, scoring 7.7. Trident focuses on three marginalized, low-profile veteran police officers. The second season feels lighter compared to the first, avoiding the heavy pressure typically found in crime dramas. The story follows the three veterans, once glorious, as they confront new types of crime and must innovate their investigative methods to dismantle criminal groups.
The Hunt (Douban Score 7.7)
The third spot is held by the mystery drama The Hunt, featuring Huang Xuan and Li Gengxi. Produced by Noon Sunshine, the powerhouse studio behind The Story of Minglan, the cast initially faced some criticism (e.g., Huang Xuan playing a blonde-haired thug, Li Gengxi as a tragic girl).
However, viewers soon became hooked. The plot grew increasingly intriguing, earning a high score of 7.7 on Douban—making it one of the most popular and praised mystery dramas of 2025. The story begins when Ni Xiangdong is asked by his friend, Cao Xiaojun, to deliver a wooden trunk to a remote hut. Instead, he finds Cao Xiaojun’s corpse inside. As police investigate, Cao’s wife, Wu Ximei, reports him missing and points fingers at Ni Xiangdong, but her testimony is full of contradictions, forcing investigators to uncover a hidden past connecting all three.
Silent Honor (Douban Score 8.0)
Starring Yu Hewei and Wu Yue, Silent Honor secured a Douban score of 8.0. This spy drama, set in 1949, is adapted from real historical figures and stories. It achieved high broadcast ratings, and the leads, Yu Hewei and Wu Yue, garnered immense praise for their acting prowess. The remarkable cast list also includes Zeng Li (who played Zhao Lusi’s mother in Love Like the Galaxy) and singer Wei Chen.
Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 3: To Chang’an (Douban Score 8.0)
The champion this year is the mystery costume drama Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 3: To Chang’an! This is one of iQIYI’s most successful serials in recent years, and Chang’an is the third season. All three seasons have managed to score above 8.0 on Douban, which is rare for a series to maintain such high quality. The drama is praised for having no filler, consistent character development, a solid script, a strong mysterious and supernatural atmosphere, and interwoven political conflict. Due to the excellent reviews, a fourth season is due to air soon, and a fifth is already in development!
The third season continues the previous storyline, focusing on Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming as they are tasked with bringing a “Golden Peach” from the Kang Kingdom back to Chang’an, accompanied by their investigative team. As they implement new policies and adopt a city-roaming investigation model, they delve deeper into various corners of Chang’an and interact more broadly with the lives of the people.
