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| Best New Chinese Dramas on iQIYI Coming in 2026: Full Cast List and Story Preview |
With 2026 just around the corner, iQIYI is already turning up the buzz with a slate of heavyweight dramas featuring some of the biggest stars in Chinese entertainment.
Top Upcoming iQIYI Chinese Dramas to Watch in 2026
From heartfelt time-travel romances to royal power struggles and emotional slice-of-life stories, these upcoming titles promise to kick off the new year with serious flair.
🩺 Xiao Cheng Liang Fang (小城良方)
Starring: Xiao Zhan, Ni Dahong, Jiang Yan, Zhang Guoqiang
Director: Zhang Xiaobo
Genre: Medical, Comedy, Human Drama
Leading the charge is Xiao Cheng Liang Fang, a medical drama helmed by acclaimed director Zhang Xiaobo.
Xiao Zhan takes on the role of Dr. Liu Zhengliang, a top-tier physician whose career collapses after a medical mishap.
Sent back to his rural hometown, he ends up running a barely functional hospital with an oddball staff — including a fortune-telling nurse and a funeral director turned anesthetist.
Adapted from Liu Sanshu’s novel Fei Dao, the story blends humour and heart, focusing on second chances and rural resilience.
Fans are thrilled to see Xiao Zhan return to a doctor role after The Oath of Love, especially alongside veteran actors like Ni Dahong and Zhang Guoqiang.
Actress Jiang Yan, who recently won a Magnolia Award, plays his love interest — and early buzz says their chemistry is surprisingly strong.
🌊 Take a Nap (海岛舒服日志)
Starring: Liu Haoran, Li Landi
Genre: Time Travel, Youth, Romance
Take a Nap reunites Liu Haoran and Landy Li, beloved for their work in With You and My Huckleberry Friends.
The series follows Lu Shi, a biologist-turned-fisherman, and Su Xiao, an illustrator struggling to find direction.
Both mysteriously slip back in time to a seaside village in 1998, where they rediscover purpose and connection.
The concept — “the answer is in the past, and in the future” — has fans intrigued, though some remain cautious about the writing team’s lack of major credits.
Still, the nostalgic seaside setting and the duo’s natural rapport have already made Take a Nap one of iQIYI’s most talked-about romance titles for 2026.
🏯 Liang Jing Shi Wu Ri (两京十五日)
Starring: Cheng Yi, Lin Gengxin
Genre: Historical, Political, Action
Historical buffs, get ready — Liang Jing Shi Wu Ri is a Ming Dynasty epic adapted from Ma Boyong’s latest work.
The drama chronicles a tense 15-day journey as Crown Prince Zhu Zhanji (played by Cheng Yi) races from Nanjing to Beijing after his father’s sudden illness.
His mission: claim the throne before the power-hungry Prince Han (Lin Gengxin) strikes first.
While the novel originally centred on Lin Gengxin’s constable character, the series reportedly shifts focus to Cheng Yi’s perspective, creating a dual-lead structure that pits loyalty against ambition.
Lin also joins the production team as co-producer, suggesting a hands-on approach to how this adaptation unfolds.
Between the stunning Ming-era visuals and the Grand Canal setting — rarely explored in dramas — Liang Jing Shi Wu Ri looks set to be a flagship period piece for 2026.
✨ Sui Ran Bu Neng Tong Shi Yong You Yi Qie (虽不能同时拥有一切)
Starring: Dilraba Dilmurat, Edward Chen, Yan Yikuan, Chang Huasen, Cecilia Yip.
Genre: Psychological, Drama, Mini-Series
iQIYI’s six-episode minidrama Sui Ran Bu Neng Tong Shi Yong You Yi Qie sees Dilraba Dilmurat in one of her boldest roles yet — playing two versions of the same woman.
In one reality, she’s Wei Lan A, a glamorous urban novelist suffering creative burnout.
In another, she’s Wei Lan B, a trapped housewife enduring a toxic marriage in a seaside town.
When a typhoon forces a plane’s emergency landing, the two worlds collide in mysterious ways.
Inspired by The Dilemmas of Working Women by Fumio Yamamoto, the series digs deep into female identity and societal pressure.
With Edward Chen as the tender romantic lead and Yan Yikuan as the controlling husband, fans are already calling this Dilraba’s potential career game-changer.
🎬 Final Thoughts
Between Xiao Zhan’s rural redemption arc, Dilraba’s dual reality mini-drama, and Cheng Yi’s high-stakes historical saga, iQIYI’s 2026 lineup looks like a perfect blend of star power and storytelling risk.
While some projects are still early in production, fans are already marking their calendars.
If 2025 was about comeback roles, 2026 might just be the year of bold experiments — and iQIYI seems ready to lead that charge.
Source: iQIYI