Best movies & TV Shows like Like a Flowing River

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Like a Flowing River Starring Nick Wang, Yang Shuo, Dong Zijian, Yang Caiyu, and more. If you liked Like a Flowing River then you may also like: Post Truth, Never Say Never, Beginning of the Great Revival, American Dreams in China, You Are My Sunshine and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

In a period of economic reform, three men will push the boundaries to reach success. Song Yun Hui is a highly intelligent man who becomes a technician and builds a great foundation for his career. Despite his success, he finds himself struggling to advance in rank due to discrimination against his poor background. Like his brother-in-law Song Yun Hui, Lei Dong Bao is also from a poor background. However, despite being a poor, rural boy, with a lack of education, he becomes a well loved leader that others look up to. A third man, Yang Xun is on the road to becoming a self-made entrepreneur and thrives on finding business opportunities. During the hardships of China's economic reform, can these three men find success?

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Post Truth

Former boss Wei Pingan makes his living by selling cemeteries. For the sake of a promise, Wei Pingan tries to find out the truth, but finds that the people who spread the rumors do not care about the truth, but only about what they believe to be the truth, and Wei Pingan himself is caught in a new rumor.

Never Say Never

A former boxing champion takes decides to break a few rules and train orphans from China's remote countryside in order to give them a future.

American Dreams in China

Three Chinese friends build a successful English language school to help Chinese teenagers fulfil their dreams.

You Are My Sunshine

A film adaptation of Gu Man's popular novel of two college sweethearts who meet again after years of separation.

Ode to Joy

Can five single, independent career women who live in the Ode to Joy apartment building find fulfillment on their own terms? An Di is a successful business woman who has returned to China after studying in New York to find her younger brother. Qu Xiao Xiao is only 25 but already owns her own small business. Fang Sheng Mei grew up in poverty but has shed her “Princess of the Streets” background to work for a multinational company. Qiu Ying Ying is a 20-year-old small-town girl who is trying to make it in the big city. Guan Ju Er is a 20-year-old from a highly educated family, but she must discover what she wants out of life when enters the workforce for the first time. For these women, there is a man (or two) who is trying to get their attention. Dr. Zhao is a flirtatious, handsome doctor. Qi Dian is the stoic businessman. Wang Bai Chuan is Sheng Mei’s steadfast friend who has always carried a torch for her. Yao Bin is a second-generation chaebol. Tan Zong Ming is An Di’s boss who has been friend-zoned by her despite knowing her since their schooldays. 

Novoland: The Castle in the Sky

In the ancient time, the human honored the winged clan as gods for their ability to fly and to build a castle in the sky. The day when the castle was to be lifted off the ground an explosion destroyed it. A human girl was suspected to have the done deed. However, a man from the winged clan didn't believe it and saved her life. As it turned out, it was a faction of the winged clan trying to start a war with the humans in order to expand their control.

My Little Princess

Should some places be off limits to the poor? The Si Ye Art Institute is an elite arts high school for the children of wealthy families whose students go on to attend the most exclusive universities. Jiang Yu Nian is one of the most popular boys at the school, but he is cold and emotionally distant after the death of his sister. The exclusive school and its privileged students are turned upside down when Lin Xing Chen, a talented art student from a poor background, is admitted. Xing Chen faces immediate bullying from the other rich students, but will Yu Nian try to protect the kindhearted new student?

Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

The road to becoming an empress is paved with treachery. Ruyi is a consort who quickly learns to navigate the treacherous politics of the the royal court and move up the ranks. After becoming Empress, Ruyi still must survive the many conspiracies against her. Her relationship with Emperor Qianlong becomes eroded even when Ruyi is able to overcome the challenges. Can Ruyi maintain her role as Empress under such difficult circumstances?

My Story For You

It’s 1998, and Zhang Chang Gong gets his first taste of success as a developer in an IT company. At the same time, he meets and falls in love with Li Mu Zi, a kind and intelligent university student. Unfortunately the IT bubble soon bursts, and Zhang Chang Gong is left unemployed. With the help of his friends and family, Chang Gong faces the challenges head on, and eventually becomes a top-selling author.

Accidentally In Love

When Si Tu Feng decides to go back to school, he becomes the center of attention as fans, classmates and the media follow his every move. He meets Chen Qing Qing, an ordinary student with a dual personality.

Eagles and Youngster

The main character begins a dangerous journey of human against nature to find an antidote to save his master Shifu by traveling to a faraway land where he makes friends with a few key characters. ~~ Adapted from the novel written by Tian Xia Ba Chang following the rivalry of two hunting clans at the end of the 80s.

Lucky's First Love

A story about first love and romances from the perspective of three couples in the workplace. It follows an independent young woman brimming with potential who crosses paths with a black-bellied boss. Because of the prosperous meaning behind her name, Xing Yun is recruited by Xia Ke to work at his gaming company. He is determined and headstrong, a son who refused to take over the family business and chose to make it on his own. In her journey from a sketch artist to a gaming designer, she experiences many extremes and jumps many hurdles in dealing with her black-bellied boss. Their continuous bickering brings them closer and the girl who has never been in love before finds that the last hurdle is love.

Nothing But Thirty

Wang Man Ni is a strong-spirited lady who prides herself for having both beauty and brains and believes that she deserves better than what she has. As she falls in love with a man, she marries him immediately, yet later finds out that their differences are taking a huge toll on their relationship. Gu Jia was the homemaker behind her husband’s success from a nerdy programmer to the CEO of a company. She was also the perfect image of a full-time housewife. When another woman threatens her marriage, she doesn’t back down and tries hard to save her relationship with her husband. Zhong Xiao Qin is an ordinary woman with an ordinary job, married to a man with a stable career. She is also a casual writer. One day, the unthinkable happens when the copyrights for her novels are suddenly sold at an exorbitant price, thus turner her into the breadwinner of the family. As a power imbalance is seen between Zhong Xiao Qin and her husband, their marriage is also shaken.

Find Yourself

A love story between an accomplished career woman and a younger man... He Fan Xing's company is at risk of being acquired, while her relationship with Yuan Song faces societal pressures due to their age difference. The consecutive blows in her work and love life push her to an emotional quagmire, and it is during this time that Ye Lu Ming enters her life. Being older in age, he is mature, stable and knowledgeable. He becomes He Fan Xing's life coach and the source of conflict between the couple. For He Fan Xing, it's not merely a matter of choosing the man that she loves, but considering the contradictions of adopting the traditional mindset on marriage.

If There Is No Tomorrow

If There Is No Tomorrow is a story for the underdogs about a man who tolerates as much as he can, yet things change when he discovers that he is terminal ill.

The Song of Glory

During the Liu Song dynasty, powerful aristocrats have taken control of the government, throwing the country into chaos. To change this, Chancellor Liu Yikang (Qin Hao) introduces new policies for political reform. To break the alliance between the aristocrats, Liu Yikang enters into a marriage alliance with the Shen family, who has roots in the military. His fiancé turns out to be Shen Lige (Li Qin), whom he has previously met at a dance house. After marriage, Li Ge assists Liu Yikang in dealing with their political opponents and implementing new policies. However, in response, the aristocrats ally together to suppress Li Ge and the Shen family, who is later massacred. Pained by her loss, Li Ge vows to take revenge for her family.

Blossoms Shanghai

Set against the backdrop of massive economic growth in the 1990s, the story follows A Bao, a self-made millionaire and his journey from being a young opportunist with a troubled past to accumulating dazzling wealth in the city of Shanghai. It also follows his entanglement with four women who represent the pursuits of his life: adventure, honour, love and innocence.

My Dear Guardian

A story that follows a warm and gentle military medic and the 'ice mountain' military officer as they fulfill their duties and also find love. Was it being rescued from the bandits or was it from constantly seeing others under one roof? Love enters when you least expect it. Xia Chu is a surgeon whose experiences have allowed her to stay calm in the face of life and death situations. Liang Muze is a special military officer who has fought on many battlefields. He has closed off his heart due to painful memories from the past.

Once We Get Married

Fashion buyer Gu Xixi bought Alex's couture wedding dresses for her clients. During a private reception, she got acquainted with Yin Sichen, the black-bellied president who came to discuss business cooperation with Alex. An incident occured leading to the two people to temporarily maintain a contract cooperative relationship for a win-win situation pertaining to Alex. The two with opposite personalities gradually found love in this contract marriage. Adapted from novel "Flash Marriage CEO's Contract Wife" by Xiang Wang.

Star of Ocean

In the early 1990s, the orphan Jane Xiaoai was forced to drop out of school due to her family’s poverty and moved to Guangzhou to work. In Guangzhou, she worked as a small restaurant worker and a tea girl in a foreign trade company. With her cleverness, kindness, and daring fighting spirit, she has grown into an excellent foreign trade merchandiser and business manager. But Jane Eyre is not satisfied with the identity leap that has been achieved. After several setbacks, she established her own foreign trade company. After experiencing the 1998 financial turmoil in Southeast Asia and the 2008 financial crisis, she relied on the results of China’s reform and opening up. China’s booming foreign trade trend eventually grew into the boss of a multinational.

Lighter and Princess

As soon as Zhu Yun started college life, the world was completely turned upside down by the intrusion of "bad boy" Li Xun. He was regarded by Zhu Yun as a rich, ignorant and incompetent son, but his real identity was actually a special admissions student who was admitted by the school, and a rare programming genius. After several confrontations, the two have some appreciation for each other. The senior Fang Zhijing made things difficult for Zhu Yun many times, Li Xun took action to protect Zhu Yun, and invited her to join the preparation team he set up to win a major programming competition on behalf of the school.

A Dream of Splendor

Zhao Pan'er is a smart and savvy teahouse owner in Qiantang, living alongside her two best friends Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang. When she finds out her fiancé left her for another woman of a high ranking officer after becoming an official in the capital of Bianjing, she refuses to give into her fate and decides to travel to the capital in search for the truth. On her way there, she crosses paths with both of her best friends whose lives she saves, and they follow her onward. Gu Qianfan is a commander in an elite capital squadron nicknamed "Living Devil". He is setup by the very people he swears allegiance to and must find out the truth behind a nefarious scheme involving the imperial court. When he first meets Zhao Pan'er, they don't see eye to eye, however this intelligent businesswoman has caught his attention and as they help each other, they get closer to their own goals.

Bright Future

Bright Future tells the story of county party secretary Mei Xiaoge (played by Hu Ge) and the reforms he and his colleagues introduce to bring about much needed change and development to the lives of the people of Guangming county. Given the subject, it does appear to be a more serious themed show. The series is a key project by China’s National Radio and Television Administration.

Meet Yourself

Because of the death of her best friend, Xu Hongdou's life and work falls into a slump. She goes to the "windy courtyard" in Yun Miao Village, Dali, to recuperate by herself. There, she meets Xie Zhiyao, a local who quit his high-paying job and has returned to his hometown to start a business, with a group of peers from big cities. Xie Zhiyao begins to see Xu Hongdou's kindness and seriousness. He invites her to use her years of experience in the hotel industry to help local employees improve their service awareness and help develop Yun Miao Village's cultural tourism business. At the same time, Xu Hongdou is moved by Xie Zhiyao's ideal of building a hometown so that the villagers can be independent and lead a purposeful life. The two fall in love and finally came together. As they work together they re-examin their past, help and inspire each other, start to heal and gain the strength to begin their lives again in this "windy place".

In Spite of the Strong Wind

When Tang Chen's career was booming, he had to declare bankruptcy when he was "sold out" by his girlfriend Shuo Bing. But soon he withdrew from the swamp of failure and actively devoted himself to a second venture. Sha Zhou, a good friend for many years, has an excellent writing style, but he has always been a depressed little reporter. With the persuasion of Tang Chen and the support of his wife, he was the first to join the entrepreneurial team. According to the division of labor within the team, Tang Chen and Sha Zhou worked together to find Hou Zhi, Zhu Ran, and Bai Ying, and set up a gray whale public relations company. Tang Chen used his industry acumen for many years to actively search for customers, lead his partners to overcome difficulties, help pig feed magnate Xie Liqiang to build a public image, push the furious divine comedy, and win Feida's public relations contract.

Love is Full of Jiudaowan

This is a tale about a group of young people who grew up in Jiudaowan. 40 years after the reform and opening up, they experienced the hardships of life, the merry-go-round of love, and various ups and downs of their careers. These true friends fought side by side and eventually matured into adults.

The Love You Give Me

Many years ago, a young woman named Min Hui fell for a young man named Xin Qi. They dreamed of spending the rest of their lives together and had even planned to marry. But things between them became complicated. Xin Qi suffered from a dangerous and potentially life-threatening heart condition. And a misunderstanding between them led them to split acrimoniously. Now, years later, they are reunited at a business event. Min Hui has risen to become an R&D director at a tech firm and Xin Qi has also made a name for himself in the business world. Deciding that “fate” has brought them back into contact for a reason, they start to talk. But Min Hui reveals that she has a son. What is more, a paternity test appears to show that the child is Xin Qi’s! Xin Qi reacts by taking on the role of the boy’s father – much to the child’s delight. But will this lead them back down the path to romance? Or has their love ship already sailed?

Stand or Fall

Guan Wen rose through the ranks in a foreign company. But just before her birthday, Guan Wen was framed by her inferiors and lost her job. It is said that when you are over thirty and have accumulated a lot of experience, you can choose any career you want but Guan Wen had a hard time finding a new job. After failing many interviews, she had to choose a job inside a mall that just opened. Guan Wen ran into her ex-boyfriend, Ding Ning, who is cold and ruthless in his career. He is very critical of her. In their work together, the relationship between them changes from dispute to ambiguity, and from getting better to break up. There are many adult measurements and considerations involved. Meanwhile, two girlfriends of Guan Wen, Chen Xuanxuan, a retired athlete, and Jing Zhiqiu, a has-been actress, also confront their mishaps in life. So how do they fight against these challenges in life? If life is like a battle, they are their own best weapons.

Imperfect Victim

The show is highly topical, given the slowly building #MeToo movement in China. This is being fuelled by numerous instances of sexual discrimination, sexual assault and outright violence towards women, many instances of which have gone viral on Chinese social media before being deleted by censors.

Only for Love

Zheng Shu Yi, a reporter who excels at her job and is determined to land a front-page story, has tried very hard to earn an exclusive interview with top financial executive Shi Yan. Their love story then blossoms due to a mistake. Zheng Shu Yi has written numerous reports through her in-depth research of various industries while Shi Yan is constantly looking for socially responsible start-ups to invest in as he hopes to give back to society as much as he can. Shi Yan finds that Zheng Shu Yi's opinions conveyed through her reports coincide with his own, so he agrees to let her write a series of reports on their company. The two eventually open up new opportunities in their career and also find love.

Best Choice Ever

Mai Chenghuan, a post-95 girl born into an ordinary family in Shanghai, agrees to marry her boyfriend, Xin Jialiang, under her mother’s urging. However, the economic gap between them creates an imbalance in their relationship, ultimately leading to its end. Mai Chenghuan then gains her grandmother's approval and is entrusted with the heavy responsibility of managing a hotel. Through cooperation, Mai Chenghuan and the professional hotel manager Yao Zhiming become working partners and go hand in hand. Mai Chenghuan transitions from being under her family's control to achieving self-fulfillment, forging her own path.

An Angel's Happiness

Xiao Han, who runs a small lodge, is the prettiest girl in the little village on Hainan Island. Her humble background and lowly education makes her unconfident, yet she is still optimistic, hoping for her very own happiness. Jie Luo is the haughty son of a woman who is in command of a big business group. He was asked by his mother to help her in renovating some parts of the island, and thus lived in Xiao Han's lodge. When Jie Luo was trying to purchase some land, he ran into problems which were soon solved with the help of Xiao Han. Their personalities are miles apart, but when they got to know each other through working together, they slowly fell in love. However, Jie Luo's mother was against them being together and wanted Xiao Han to leave Jie Luo in exchange for the continuation of the island's renovation project. For the good of the island, Xiao Han reluctantly agreed. This dealt a great blow to Jie Luo, and finding Xiao Han became his only job...

Unbending Will

About young village officer Dai Zhiqiang, who leads the citizens of Lian Xi village in developing the Dendrobium industry and alleviating poverty.

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