LayarHijau – Kuyun has unveiled its ranking of the 20 most popular Chinese drama characters for the first half of 2026, with several major stars making multiple appearances on the list.
Pursuit of Jade leads the ranking with both of its central characters taking the top two spots. Zhang Linghe’s Xie Zheng ranks No. 1, while Tian Xiwei’s Fan Changyu comes in at No. 2.
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Here’s the full list of the 20 characters ranked by Kuyun:
- Xie Zheng — Zhang Linghe — Pursuit of Jade (《逐玉》)
- Fan Changyu — Tian Xiwei — Pursuit of Jade (《逐玉》)
- Ye Li — Bai Lu — The First Jasmine (《莫离》)
- Bai Ju — Yang Zi — Born to Be Alive (《生命树》)
- Chu Zhao — Chen Duling — Ashes to Crown (《翘楚》)
- Lin Yusen — Song Weilong — Shine on Me (《骄阳似我》)
- He Simu — Dilraba Dilmurat — Love beyond the Grave (《白日提灯》)
- Lu Wuyi — Ju Jingyi — Veil of Shadows (《月鳞绮纪》)
- Li Qiuping — Zhao Liying — The Dream Maker (《小城大事》)
- Nie Xiguang — Zhao Jinmai — Shine on Me (《骄阳似我》)
- Shen Xiezhi — Gong Jun — Hold a Court Now (《家事法庭》)
- Xiao Bei — Liu Yuning — About Love (《玫瑰丛生》)
- Li Peiyi — Bai Lu — Unveil: Jadewind (《唐宫奇案之青雾风鸣》)
- Li Yifei — Tan Jianci — Love Has Fireworks (《爱情有烟火》)
- Jiang Lifei / Xiao Bangchui — Ju Jingyi — The Eternal Fragrance (《千香》)
- Mo Xiuyao — Cast not confirmed — The First Jasmine (《莫离》)
- Xie Huai’an — Cheng Yi — The Vendetta of An (《长安二十四计》)
- Ye Qian — Gong Jun — The Truth (《风过留痕》)
- Zhang Haixia / “Zhang Shrimpie” — Ding Yuxi — Archives: The Nanyang Mystery (《南部档案》)
- Lu Qianqiao — Ren Jialun — Fate Chooses You (《佳偶天成》)
Pursuit of Jade leads the ranking
Pursuit of Jade makes the strongest showing at the top of Kuyun’s list, with Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu securing the first and second positions, respectively.
Zhang Linghe plays Xie Zheng, while Tian Xiwei stars as Fan Changyu.
The two characters are the only ones from the same drama to occupy the top two positions on the list.
Bai Lu, Ju Jingyi and Gong Jun each appear twice
Several stars have more than one character represented in the top 20.
Bai Lu appears twice, ranking third with Ye Li from The First Jasmine and 13th with Li Peiyi from Unveil: Jadewind.
Ju Jingyi also has two entries. Her character Lu Wuyi from Veil of Shadows ranks eighth, while Jiang Lifei, also known as Xiao Bangchui, from The Eternal Fragrance comes in at No. 15.
Gong Jun has two characters on the list as well. Shen Xiezhi from Hold a Court Now ranks 11th, followed by Ye Qian from The Truth at No. 18.
Shine on Me likewise places two characters in the top 20: Lin Yusen, played by Song Weilong, at No. 6 and Nie Xiguang, played by Zhao Jinmai, at No. 10.
The First Jasmine lands two spots in the top 20
The First Jasmine is another drama with two characters represented on Kuyun’s list.
Ye Li, played by Bai Lu, ranks third, while Mo Xiuyao comes in at No. 16.
The available information confirms Mo Xiuyao as a character from The First Jasmine (《莫离》), but the actor’s name has not been included here because the available cast information contains conflicting credits.
How Kuyun measures character popularity
Kuyun’s Character Popularity Index (角色热度) is part of its All-Platform measurement system and is intended to provide a comprehensive measure of a character’s popularity.
The methodology takes viewing volume across platforms into account, while also assigning weight to character-related discussions and interactions across platforms, as well as social media activity from the actors who portray the characters.
The statistical period begins on the day a drama premieres and runs through the end of its “hot airing” period. For qualifying dramas, that period extends from the premiere date through 30 days after the final episode airs.
Kuyun reports both Peak and Average figures for the character popularity index. The figures are rounded using standard rounding rules.
