How ‘The Early Spring’ Ends—And Sets the Stage for More Chinese Dramas on Netflix

In the decade since, Netflix’s catalogue and business model have become increasingly international. As Netflix focuses on expansion into international markets, C-dramas have become an increasingly valuable asset. While C-dramas have a growing audience in the U.S., they are even more popular in countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam. “Audiences in Asia have long loved this category, but we’re making them accessible to an even bigger global viewership,” Maya Huang, Head of Chinese-Language Content at Netflix, tells TIME. 

Netflix has been growing their Mainland China offerings since 2024. Recent hits have included historical fantasy romance Pursuit of Jade and costume drama Ashes to Crown, adding to the organic popularity of earlier series like The Untamed, a historical fantasy romance based on a BL web novel that blew up in popularity during the pandemic. As Netflix looks towards the future, C-dramas are part of their plan, with “a team dedicated to finding the most authentic and best-in-class Chinese language stories” including ones—like The Early Spring—that are simulcast with a Chinese streamer. “With Netflix’s reach, dubs and subtitles, and our ability to release titles simultaneously worldwide, we’re seeing audiences discover these stories in the U.S., South America, Europe and the Middle East,” says Huang. “We want to give these fans more of what they love—so there’s plenty more to come from our Chinese language slate.”