LayarHijau – Entering 2026, the Chinese public has begun looking back at the dramas that dominated throughout 2025. Beyond television ratings and full-episode views on streaming platforms, Douyin view counts have now become an important indicator for measuring a drama’s popularity among the general audience.
Douyin view figures do not represent full-episode viewership, but rather the accumulated plays of short clips—including drama excerpts, romantic moments, iconic conflicts, and fan-edited videos—that circulate and are repeatedly watched on the platform. Due to Douyin’s heavy reliance on virality, this data often reflects how strong a drama’s public impact is in the wider online space.
Below are the 10 Chinese Dramas with the Highest Douyin View Counts Throughout 2025. Shine on Me did not enter the top ten, The First Frost ranked second with nearly 250 billion views, while the top position was claimed by Love’s Ambition as the only drama to surpass 300 billion views.
Rank 10: Six Sisters — 120.1 billion
The family drama set in an earlier era, Six Sisters, became one of the steady-performing dramas of 2025. The story focuses on He Changsheng, who moves his family to Huainan, Anhui. After having six daughters, he dies in an accident, leaving the women of the family to shoulder the responsibility of sustaining the household.
The six sisters must face various life challenges—ranging from marriage and careers to societal changes—while remaining united through the ups and downs of fate. As a multi-generational family drama, the genre has a strong audience base, and Six Sisters showed solid performance across Douyin, streaming platforms, and television. On Tencent Video alone, its full-episode views surpassed 1.39 billion.
Rank 9: The Journey of Legend — 121 billion
The costume drama The Journey of Legend, starring Cheng Yi, ranked ninth. Prior to its release, the drama was highly anticipated due to Cheng Yi’s reputation from his previous costume dramas.
The drama combines the concept of entering the world of a novel with the wuxia genre. However, after airing, audience response leaned negative. Much of the criticism targeted production quality, particularly the appearance of modern props in a historical setting, such as printed manuscripts and contemporary footwear. Nevertheless, thanks to Cheng Yi’s popularity, the drama still sparked extensive discussion on Douyin. On Douban, the drama’s rating stopped at 5.9.
Rank 8: Deep Affection Eyes — 125.5 billion
Surprisingly, Deep Affection Eyes broke into the top ten and became one of the unexpected hits of 2025. Adapted from a popular novel by Er Dong Tu Zi, the drama initially received little attention and was even overshadowed by other romance dramas airing in the same year.
However, after its release, audience feedback turned out to be fairly positive. The drama presents a healing relationship between a charismatic mature woman and a younger man carrying emotional wounds. The direction successfully delivers intense emotional push-and-pull without feeling excessive. The story follows Ye Meng, a woman in her 30s who returns to her hometown after a career setback, where she meets the mysterious Li Jin Yu. Their relationship develops slowly until a ring changes the dynamic between them.
Rank 7: Feud — 130.7 billion
The xianxia drama Feud, starring Bai Lu, ranked seventh and became a favorite among Douyin viewers. The drama adopts a “love-hate couple” concept—marrying and separating three times—distinct from the sweeter reincarnation romance narratives.
Its storyline is filled with extreme conflicts, such as identity substitution, the loss of a child, and emotional violence, making many scenes go viral on Douyin. The story centers on Hua Ruyue and Bai Jiusi, two immortals originating from the same source who become enemies due to major misunderstandings and hidden schemes.
Rank 6: This Thriving Land — 145.8 billion
This Thriving Land became Yang Mi’s transformation project in 2025. After several previous dramas received criticism, this rural-themed drama emerged as a major surprise during the summer season.
Yang Mi plays Ning Xiu Xiu, the daughter of the wealthiest man in Tian Niu Village, who is kidnapped on her wedding day. When her father refuses to sell land to pay her ransom, Xiu Xiu cuts ties with her family and marries the village man who rescues her. The drama portrays social change and the resilience of ordinary people, with Yang Mi’s performance widely praised for being more grounded and emotionally rich. Many of its dramatic scenes circulated widely on Douyin.
Rank 5: Legend of Zang Hai — 165.1 billion
Legend of Zang Hai, starring Xiao Zhan, became one of the dramas in 2025 that achieved the most balanced success between popularity and quality. Its total Douyin views reached 165 billion, while full-episode views surpassed 2.2 billion—the highest of the year.
The drama tells the story of Zang Hai’s quest for revenge amid power struggles and political intrigue. The narrative is tightly structured, the pacing steady, and the production executed at a high standard. Directed by the director of Empresses in the Palace, the drama received praise for its costume details, art direction, and cinematography. On Douban, it concluded with a score of 7.1.
Rank 4: Flourished Peony — 173.8 billion
Yang Zi once again demonstrated her dominance on Douyin through Flourished Peony. The drama tells the story of an independent woman in the Tang Dynasty who rises from a failed marriage to build her own flower business.
Despite being packed with conflicts—from a manipulative ex-husband to intricate supporting character schemes—the drama maintains strong visual quality and narrative strength. The combination of intense conflict and high production value made many scenes highly shareable, sustaining its popularity throughout 2025.
Rank 3: Moonlight Mystique — 203 billion
The xianxia drama Moonlight Mystique surpassed 200 billion views, making it the most-watched fantasy drama on Douyin in 2025. Story-wise, the drama follows a classic xianxia framework, but its visual appeal and the charm of the cast remained its strongest draw.
Notably, the supporting couple played by Dai Luwa and Chang Huasen captured even greater attention on Douyin. The dynamic between a demon woman and a man from an immortal clan gradually falling into darkness became a favorite among short-clip viewers.
Rank 2: The First Frost — 249.5 billion
The First Frost ranked second and became the most popular modern romance drama of 2025. Despite the abundance of sweet romance dramas released that year, none were able to surpass its achievements.
Adapted from a novel by Zhu Yi and set in the same universe as Hidden Love, the drama found success across multiple platforms, including Youku, Netflix, Weibo, and Douyin. The story centers on Wen Yifan’s reunion with her former high school classmate, Sang Yan, which leads to an unexpected romance after they end up living together. Its atmospheric directing style made many scenes fan-favorite clips.
Rank 1: Love’s Ambition — 346.3 billion
Topping the list is Love’s Ambition, starring Zhao Lusi and Chen Weiting. The drama became the only title to surpass 300 billion views on Douyin.
Unlike many other popular dramas, Love’s Ambition is not adapted from a widely famous novel nor is it a large-scale costume production. Instead, its strength lies in a plot full of twists—centered on a marriage built on lies, conflicts of interest, and a “chasing-after-loss” narrative—that perfectly matches Douyin’s viewing habits. Each episode delivers dramatic moments that spark curiosity, allowing its clips to circulate endlessly and accumulate massive replay numbers.
Dramas that aired toward the end of the year, such as Shine on Me, Speed and Love, and Sniper Butterfly, did not enter the top ten due to a shorter data collection period. Even so, Speed and Love and Sniper Butterfly each recorded over 60 billion views on Douyin, while Shine on Me continues to show an upward popularity trend thanks to widely shared clips featuring Song Weilong and Zhao Jinmai.
