Recommendations

Both stories center on a relationship where love grows in the shadow of something unspoken, and the connection becomes a rare place of gentleness in an otherwise harsh life. Always shows this through two people who find comfort in each other despite their pasts, while Had I Not Seen the Sun shows it through a girl who discovers a moment of softness in a world that has been anything but. In both, the relationship matters because it’s the first time the character feels safe enough to breathe.

In a slightly different way, but both stories focus on the meaning of family and family ties, the importance of relying in others. Both stories deal with the loss of a mother and building a family without being related by blood.

While they're not exactly the same (No Breathing is a coming-of-age and Dream is dealing with a midlife crisis imo), both movies have similar tropes: sports, rivals to friends, teamwork etc.
Give them a try!

The series and the movie share the same era, but different perspectives. The Love Story in the 1970's depicts how the people in that era lived their lives, and made peace with it. While Under The Hawthorn Tree emphasized the scarcity of basic needs, and how even love is expensive in their time. The movie is very poetic, and though they do not sugarcoat the hardships of the setting- there's still beauty in the simplicity of the way they created the movie.
PS: Under the Hawthorn has a beautiful, tragic ending, though.

Xu Xianzhe's inspiration for Dao Ma when he started drawing the manhua that started publication in 2015 is Tony Leung Ka-fai, in this film also featuring our protagonist needing to escort certain individuals to a certain place, by a certain date.

Yanzi-niang by Li Yunxiao is a vividly unforgettable wily flirtatious female as unique as Maggie Cheung portraying saucy calculating multi-faceted Jin Xiang Yu in this 1992 movie.

Chen Lijun as Ayuya turns in a strong performance that sees Ayuya as the most popular Lunar New Year character from the 2026 Lunar New Year movies of the box office, as per weibo announcement. Her performance is starkly different from the amazing Lin Ching-hsia due to character differences, but there are touching and feisty parallels seen in certain moments.

This is likely the movie which inspired Xue Xianzhe for his manhua. A mature screenplay, top-notch cast for villains and heroes, and solidly encompassing themes of wuxia. A Tsui Hark classic.

So the setting is quite different, but they both had this very sweet, innocent, first love vibe to it. Like not very eventful, but really sweet to watch.
/Also Seven Days has a sequel that makes it whole, so it doubles the cuteness watching time! :3

Martial arts, action, and historical settings. The creation of the Gods is more fantasy-like, as it explores Chinese myths, but both movies feature many visually striking combat scenes. I recommend they be watched in cinema theatres

this one looks at social pressures and how they impact self esteem, showing the internal struggle of feeling invisible or undervalued. like the new drama, it’s about insecurity and self worth, but it focuses more on the female perspective and social critique, while everyone is fighting their own worthlessness tackles universal insecurities across different characters and age groups.

even though it’s more of an action movie, it explores identity and purpose, showing characters who hide their vulnerabilities while trying to find where they belong. this duality of strength and fragility is similar to the emotional tone of the new drama. it differs in that it’s more action/adventure focused, while the new series is all about introspection and inner struggles.

Once We Were Us is a Korean remake of Us and Them. If you liked Us and Them, you can give Once We Were Us a try, but it won’t give you quite the same feeling. On the other hand, if you enjoyed Once We Were Us, then Us and Them is a must-watch. You’re in for an emotional ride.

I originally thought the Korean remake would be exactly the same as the Chinese version, but I was wrong. While the overall plot is similar, I found the Chinese version more heart-wrenching and cinematic. What I loved most about Us and Them were the scenes with the male lead’s dad. I actually only cried during the part where his dad writes the letter for the female lead, and again during the ending credits when the male lead returns to visit his old home. The dialogue in the Chinese version is also much more thought-provoking. The scene that haunts me the most is when they’re sitting in the car and the female lead says, “I missed you.” I also appreciated how the Chinese version showed different years and how the characters grew and changed over time.

I also really love the OSTs in the Chinese version, they added so much more depth and meaning to the entire film. And of course, we can’t forget the main song, “Later” by Rene Liu. That song was actually the inspiration behind Us and Them, which makes it even more special and emotionally powerful.

In comparison, the Korean remake, Once We Were Us, felt like it was lacking in that area. The OSTs didn’t stand out to me at all, and they didn’t leave the same lasting impression. The Chinese version’s music truly elevated the story, while the Korean version’s soundtrack was whatever.

That said, I want to give credit to the Korean version for two things. First, in the Chinese version, there’s a scene where the male and female leads hold hands and run back to the hotel…even though the male lead already has a family. The Korean version removed that scene, which I think was a good choice, because imagine finding out your husband is still in love with his first love. Second, the Korean version made the female lead a successful architect, and I loved seeing that she built a stable career in Seoul. In the Chinese version, she’s still struggling and doesn’t have a stable job.

"A Woman" is the story of a woman storyteller who did not get the chance to go study, but was confined to factory work, until her talent gained her a second chance for life, leaving behind the shackles of dreary work and unwanted marriage and motherhood. As many "scars generation" stories it is somber, but tells of an indomitable spirit.

It does resonate with the heartaches of Fei Ni in the drama, when she is repeatedly rebuked and discouraged from wishing to become a student and read her fill of books.

Unfortunately, this Wang Chao movie may be difficult to find outside Chinese movies festivals featuring famous writer-directors work. It is based on a semi-autobiographical novel Dream (Meng, ?) by Zhang Xinzhen which still has not been translated into English or other languages.

A short trailer can be found on YouTube.

The 2002 movie was also a heartfelt account with humor and heartaches about city youth sent away to be "reeducated through labor with the peasants" but who did not give up their yearning for education, college, and art. It is largely autobiographical, so gives valuable insights on some parts of the drama (such as what movies were watched by the Chinese at the time, apart from "revolutionary opera movies" : Korean movies, war movies from "socialist countries"...). The drama, and the novel Love Story in the 1970s, are a "softer take" on the struggles and joys of the "scars generation".

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, the award winning 2000 novel, written in French, was a best seller and has been translated into more than 25 languages. It draws on the memories of author Dai Sijiie (born in 1954) from the years he spent in a re-education camp in rural Sichuan from 1971 to 1974 during the Cultural Revolution.

The movie, featuring Zhou Xun as FL, Chen Kun and Liu Ye as MLs, adapted and directed by the author "received several nominations, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film (2003), a Golden Horse Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay (2003), and a Hong Kong Film Award nomination for Best Asian Film (2004). It also won the NBR Award for Top Foreign Films (2005)." It can be watched with English subtitles on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUySDK5cpy4

Both take place during the White Terror era of Taiwan, where the main character struggles to survive in an environment deep in censorship and tragedy.

Both take place during the White Terror era of Taiwan, where the main character struggles to survive in an environment deep in censorship and tragedy.

Taiwanese romcom from the 2010s.
Main character dealing with heartbreak meets a new girl.
Quirky, feel good and very similar in vibes.