Zhao Lu Si turns 28 on November 9, and in honor of her birthday, we're celebrating her 10 best C-dramas. If there's one kind of heroine she plays better than almost anyone, it's the girl everyone underestimates in episode one, who spends the rest of the drama proving them all wrong. She's been a hapless time-traveling doctor who can't catch a break, a screenwriter fighting her own plot, a pearl diver with nothing but grit and a sharp-tongued daughter nobody wanted. She never plays it safe, and that's exactly why her dramas stay with you long after the finale.
ZLS got her start with small parts in dramas like Untouchable Lovers before Oh! My Emperor and I Hear You gave her the lead, and in 2023 Hidden Love made her a household name around the world. A few of the dramas below will make you laugh out loud, a couple will wreck you, and at least one will have you starting a rewatch before the week is out.
10. Please Feel at Ease Mr. Ling (2021)
Zhao Lu Si and Liu Te in Please Feel at Ease Mr. Ling | Photo: Youku
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Drama | MDL Rating: 8.0
We're kicking things off with pure comfort food. ZLS plays Gu An Xin, a kind-hearted young woman who stumbles upon an injured man after an accident and ends up bringing him home. He seems a little slow at first. He is not. Ling Yue (Liu Te) is actually a hotshot executive, and his "accident" was part of a nasty succession fight at his family's conglomerate.
It's the classic "I accidentally adopted a CEO" setup, and it works because ZLS commits to every silly second of it. If you love a bubbly heroine, a hidden-identity hero and a whole lot of living-together chaos, this 24-episode Youku rom-com is the easiest binge on this list.
▶ Watch the Please Feel at Ease Mr. Ling trailer
9. The Story of Pearl Girl (2024)
Zhao Lu Si and Liu Yu Ning in The Story of Pearl Girl | Photo: Youku
Genre: Historical, Business, Romance, Drama | MDL Rating: 8.1
ZLS plays Duan Wu, a young pearl diver who escapes a brutal pearl farm, joins a merchant's caravan and slowly works her way into the cutthroat world of jewelry trading. Along the way, she crosses paths with merchant Yan Zi Jing (Liu Yu Ning), uncovers secrets about her own past and sets out to build a business of her own from nothing.
This is a grown-up, rags-to-riches story, and it shows how much range ZLS has beyond sweet romance. It also reunites her with Liu Yu Ning, her co-star from The Long Ballad (which you'll find further up this list), and their chemistry has only gotten better with time.
▶ Watch The Story of Pearl Girl trailer (YOUKU) on YouTube
8. Gen Z (2023)
Zhao Lu Si and Luo Yi Zhou in Gen Z | Photo: Youku
Genre: Romance, Life, Youth, Medical | MDL Rating: 8.2
Gen Z is warmer and more grounded than most of her dramas. ZLS plays Sun Tou Tou, a tough orphan who keeps getting into trouble for standing up to bullies. Professor Ren Xin Zheng (Wu Gang), a master of traditional Chinese medicine, sees something in her, gives her a place in his class and a fresh start, and she slowly becomes part of his family's clinic.
There's romance with the professor's son, Ren Tian Zhen (Luo Yi Zhou), who she can't stand at first (of course), and Alina Zhang rounds out the cast. But the real heart of the show is the found-family story and her scenes with veteran actor Wu Gang, which had me reaching for the tissues more than once.
7. The Last Immortal (2023)
Zhao Lu Si and Wang An Yu in The Last Immortal | Photo: Mango TV / Tencent Video
Genre: Romance, Wuxia, Drama, Fantasy | MDL Rating: 8.2
Time for a full fantasy epic. ZLS plays Feng Yin, a spirit on a mission to find the scattered pieces of her immortal essence. She teams up with Gu Jin (Wang An Yu), the son of a true god whose powers have been sealed away, and they start out as master and servant before things get much, much more complicated.
Expect gorgeous costumes, big sky battles and plenty of pining across lifetimes. Wang An Yu is a great match for ZLS, and if you're in the mood for a xianxia love story, this is one of the best from 2023.
▶ Watch The Last Immortal trailer
6. Love's Ambition (2025)
Zhao Lu Si and William Chan in Love's Ambition | Photo: Tencent Video
Genre: Romance, Life, Drama, Family | MDL Rating: 8.3
Her most recent full-length drama is also her most mature. ZLS plays Xu Yan, a polished TV news anchor who marries Shen Hao Ming (William Chan), a wealthy man from a very different world. Their backgrounds keep pulling them apart, and it takes a lot of heartache before either of them is willing to drop the act and say what they really feel.
Love's Ambition is a modern, emotional drama about two people finally taking off their masks, and her chemistry with William Chan is excellent. It's a slow-burn second-chance romance done right, and it proves that ZLS can carry a grown-up romance just as easily as a sweet one.
▶ Watch the Love's Ambition trailer
5. The Romance of Tiger and Rose (2020)
Zhao Lu Si and Ding Yu Xi in The Romance of Tiger and Rose | Photo: Tencent Video
Genre: Historical, Comedy, Romance, Fantasy | MDL Rating: 8.5
This is the one that made so many of us fall for her. ZLS plays an aspiring screenwriter who gets pulled into her own TV script as Chen Qian Qian, a minor princess, and she knows exactly what's coming: Prince Han Shuo (Ding Yu Xi), the male lead, is written to kill her character off in episode three. So she starts rewriting her own fate from the inside.
It's short, hilarious and packed with fourth-wall-breaking jokes, and ZLS and Ding Yu Xi have the kind of bickering chemistry that keeps you hitting "next episode." With Zhou Zi Xin and Sheng Ying Hao adding plenty of fun in supporting roles, it's the perfect starting point if you've never seen a ZLS drama.
▶ Watch The Romance of Tiger and Rose trailer
4. The Long Ballad (2021)
The cast of The Long Ballad | Photo: Tencent Video
Genre: Action, Historical, Romance, War | MDL Rating: 8.6
The Long Ballad belongs to Li Chang Ge (Dilraba Dilmurat), a princess who loses everything in a palace coup and fights her way back, with Leo Wu as the general Ashile Sun. But ZLS steals plenty of scenes as Li Le Yan, Chang Ge's sheltered, pampered cousin, who gets dragged into a far harsher world than the one she was raised for.
Le Yan's journey is one of the most satisfying in the drama: she starts out naive and grows into someone genuinely strong, and her romance with Hao Du (Liu Yu Ning) became a fan favorite. It's a big, ambitious production, and it proved ZLS could shine in a heavyweight ensemble.
▶ Watch The Long Ballad trailer
3. Who Rules the World (2022)
Zhao Lu Si and Yang Yang in Who Rules the World | Photo: Tencent Video
Genre: Romance, Wuxia, Fantasy | MDL Rating: 8.6
ZLS and Yang Yang play Feng Xi Yun and Feng Lan Xi, two of the most famous martial artists in the land, both hiding who they really are. They team up, fight side by side and try to out-scheme each other while the empire falls apart around them and the battle for the throne heats up.
It's a classic wuxia adventure with stylish fight scenes, political twists and a love story between two genuine equals. It was a huge streaming hit when it came out, and it's still the best way to see ZLS in full action-heroine mode.
▶ Watch the Who Rules the World trailer
2. Love Like the Galaxy (2022)
Zhao Lu Si and Leo Wu in Love Like the Galaxy | Photo: Tencent Video
Genre: Historical, Mystery, Romance, Political | MDL Rating: 8.9 (Part 1) / 8.9 (Part 2)
ZLS plays Cheng Shao Shang, a girl who was left behind in the countryside as a child when her parents went off to war. Years later, they come home, and she has to find her place in a family that barely knows her and a capital full of people who look down on her. She refuses to play nice, and her sharp tongue gets her noticed, including by Ling Bu Yi (Leo Wu), a powerful young general quietly chasing the truth about his own past.
Part 1 is all about Shao Shang finding her feet: the family squabbles, the matchmaking chaos and the slow, delicious build of her bond with Ling Bu Yi, with Guo Tao and Zeng Li superb as her parents. Part 2 raises the stakes, pulling the couple deeper into court politics and old secrets, and gives ZLS some of the most emotional scenes of her career. Based on a novel by the author behind The Story of Ming Lan, this is the one many fans call her best performance, and it very nearly took the top spot.
▶ Watch the Love Like the Galaxy trailer
1. Hidden Love (2023)
Zhao Lu Si and Chen Zhe Yuan in Hidden Love | Photo: Youku
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Life, Youth | MDL Rating: 9.0
ZLS plays Sang Zhi, a girl who has had a crush on her older brother Sang Yan's (Victor Ma) best friend, Duan Jia Xu (Chen Zhe Yuan), since she was a kid. He's five years older and sees her as a little sister. They lose touch, until she enrolls at a university in the city where he lives and suddenly they're back in each other's lives, with her trying very, very hard to act like a grown-up around him.
It sounds simple, and it is, but it's done so well. ZLS captures every awkward, hopeful, heart-pounding stage of first love, and her chemistry with Chen Zhe Yuan is off the charts. Hidden Love became a global phenomenon in the summer of 2023, and it's the drama that turned her from a rising star into a household name. If you watch only one drama on this list, make it this one.
▶ Watch the Hidden Love trailer
Happy birthday, ZLS! Which Zhao Lu Si drama is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
