Strong Female Leads

The Story of Minglan. The most unlikely heroine, she looks like a strong breeze would blow her over, she is at the very bottom of the social ladder, her mother is dead, her father is indifferent and useless. She could have died at a young age, and no one would have noticed or cared... except her grandmother, who takes her under her wings and helps her to survive in a toxic household.

All Minglan has is a brilliant intellect and an ability to read people. She survives by keeping her head down and not being noticed, but she has a burning sense of injustice and a fierce loyalty to those she cares about. She never plots or schemes, but if you try to use her, her family, or friends, then her reaction is brilliant and ruthless. - u/DuaneDoberman

A Journey to Love - As soon as Ren Ruyi shows up, we get treated to her adaptability, intelligence, resolve, and actual assassin skills. But she does have her unique shortcomings and does grow over the course of the drama. - u/eidisi

Ruyi in Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace - Gentle and soft but has a heart of steel. One of the best female characters in Cdramas. You will cheer and cry with her literally. You will admire her strength and wondered whether you can also be that tough if you were in her position. A very strong and admirable character through and through. - u/SyrenaBlue

Song of Youth - The FL is sweet, polite, smart, and strong at the same time. She seems to accept whatever comes into her way, but she will never be discouraged. She is always light-hearted, even when she hasn't seen the way out yet. She always says that she doesn't know how at this moment, but she will be able to come up with something for sure. I like her attitudes very much. She is so determined, and I like that in a girl. She never looks down upon herself, and won't let anyone around do so either. - u/ChangeUsernameAlways

Candle in the Tomb franchise - Shirley Yang portrayed Zhang Yu Qi. If I were ever in a dangerous life threatening situation she’s the one I would call on! Shirley is the anchor of the group, so composed never one to breakdown or crack under pressure and always getting her team out of danger. At the same time she emits an aura of grace and warmth. - u/Candid-Champion-4509

Miss Gu Who Is Silent - FL is crafty, morally grey, dressed to the nines, and always a step ahead of everyone else. The genre is modern mystery/revenge with a touch or romance. But note that there are many, many twists and turns and ultimately it will become something else entirely. - u/phroggies70

Story of Yanxi Palace - From Ying Luo’s first interaction with a haughty wannabe palace concubine, you realize that while she may be “just a maid,” she’s one of the smartest characters you’ll ever meet. She’s also unafraid, unapologetic, loyal, and ruthless - devoted to her loved ones and deadly to her enemies. The show is full of twists and turns - I loved it because on multiple occasions you could tell a character had a “plan” or “scheme”  in place, you just weren’t quite sure what it was until the big reveal. - u/TVAddict4

Zhen Huan in Empresses in the Palace - You probably wouldn't come across this type of character in Cdramas anymore. The best character development you can witness in Cdramas. If you love cunning FLs, Zhen Huan done it in ways that no other FLs in todays Cdramas can do. You will be conflicted on whether to cheer or boo her. But that is what good dramas do, when you also question your morality. - u/SyrenaBlue

Li Shuihua (Minning Town): women don’t have to be perfect and rich main characters in life to be strong, and Shuihua’s the perfect example of that. She has a long list of misfortunes in life to be upset about. Despite all that, she manages to keep a positive mindset on life and strives hard to make the best of what cards she’s been given. Maybe she didn’t get her happy ending, but she can work hard to make a world where her daughter won’t be forced into a corner like she was. And work hard she does. The progress we’ve gained as women are in no small part thanks to the sacrifices and work of all the women before us. They may be insignificant and their names forgotten, but their contributions are anything but. And to me, that’s the beauty of Li Shuihua. - u/240229

Story of Kunning Palace: Jiang Xue Ning is smart, intelligent and practical. She can be as vicious as the best of men and has a strong tendency to pay back her enemies. She never loses sight of her goal and Bai Lu totally executed this character with elegance and grace❤️ - u/Diligent-Elephant398

Nihuang (Nirvana in Fire): she’s perhaps best known as an accomplished general in her own right, guarding the southern border ever since she took command of her father’s army after his death in battle as a teenager, but she’s also so much more. Sharp and nimble, she’s fast on understanding minute changes in the political sphere and the emperor’s game of check and balances. There’s a reason why the house of Mu was able to survive so long despite their relative independence, complete lack of court support, and military power amidst the emperor’s paranoia, and that reason is Nihuang. Her empathy and love makes her a true gem amidst the storms of the battle for the throne.  - u/240229

Nothing gold can stay - this drama has a very smart and practical FL. She fought to make a place in a business occupied mostly by men. FL is Sun Li and ML is Chen Xiao. I think this is my fave drama for both of them. u/Gatchayyc

Back From the Brink - Yan Hui is a rare xianxia female lead who's not a "love brain" (恋爱脑). Despite being able to punch demons in the face, her strength is more from her level-headedness and intelligence. She also has a good set of ethics and principles and sticks to them in a world full of racism. - u/eidisi

As more of a rom-com costume drama req with a strong female lead, I’ll add in Oh My General Sandra Ma does a fabulous job portraying a battle-hardened female general who is an ace on the battlefield but a dunce with men and love. Peter Sheng plays the male lead - a soft, effeminate man  who is known for his player ways and is tapped to be the general’s husband. I really enjoyed this drama for its comedy, set/costume design and character growth. - u/jilliannie

Ji Yunhe In The Blue Whisper - One of my favorite FLs in Cdramas. Despite she spent like half the drama being sick and weak, she kick-ass regardless. Stand on things that she believe in and still saving the world at the end while still love wholeheartedly. She is flawed and has many weaknesses and also use Stockholm syndrome method on the ML but she did all these thing while still being lovely and likable and that is a talent in itself lol. - u/SyrenaBlue

Ye Wenjie (Three Body): who doesn’t enjoy dooming the fate of the entire planet? There’s nothing like signing a death sentence for the entire Earth as a way to prove power. Just kidding. Ye Wenjie’s simply a darkly fascinating person. Whip smart, perhaps to her own detriment, with an endless sense of ambition, her determination is admirable even as her means questionable. She’s had a lot of trauma in the past, far more than anyone should live with, but she’s also actively killed many and watched silently as the dominoes she set in place killed many many more. A corrupt supervisor, her husband, countless brilliant scientists, her daughter, allies in her organization: all are but ants to her. And yet, that last bit of rediscovered love and warmth towards humanity remains. I don’t think I can ever judge Ye Wenjie, but I can safely say that her strength and brilliance are incredible. - u/240229

Lu Yuan (An Ancient Love Song): a lesson in maintaining dignity even amidst a life destined for tragedy. There’s no question of her intellectual ability: from an ordinary town girl to an intelligence officer of a top minister even to the very top as the empress who planned forward the path for the unity of the country, her list of achievements from a purely sociopolitical status ascension standpoint is impressive enough. She can fight too, but that’s not what’s most admirable about her. It’s her selflessness and dignity that truly make her stand out. - u/240229