Donghua for Beginners: What It Is, Genres and 10 Series to Start With
Donghua is the word for animation made in China. If you like anime, you will probably enjoy it. This guide explains the basics and gives you ten series to start with.
Donghua vs anime
Anime comes from Japan and Donghua from China. Donghua often adapts Chinese web novels and leans into martial arts, mythology and long-running adventures. Many series run for hundreds of episodes.
The main genres
- Cultivation (xianxia): heroes train for power, immortality and revenge.
- Martial arts (wuxia): sword and fist, honor and rivalry.
- Fantasy and adventure: magic, beasts and strange worlds.
- Romance and historical: palace drama, love stories, period settings.
- Sci-fi and urban: space, time travel and modern mystery.
10 series to try
These titles appeared on AnimeXin's popularity ranking and on schedules of several sites in October 2026.
| Series | Style |
|---|---|
| Battle Through the Heavens (Doupo Cangqiong) | Action, fantasy, a young genius rises |
| Renegade Immortal (Xian Ni) | Cultivation, a hard path to immortality |
| Soul Land 2: The Peerless Tang Sect | Fantasy, martial spirits |
| Swallowed Star | Sci-fi, a future of mutated beasts |
| Shrouding the Heavens | Fantasy, epic scale |
| A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality | Cultivation, a clever ordinary hero |
| Tales of Herding Gods | Fantasy, a mysterious world |
| Tales of Demons and Gods | Action, a reborn hero changes fate |
| Gu An (One Slash to the Heavens) | Action, fantasy, historical |
| A Will Eternal | Cultivation, comedy and growth |
Why it feels confusing at first
Names, seasons and episode numbers change across sites. Battle Through the Heavens is also called Doupo Cangqiong, and season numbers vary. Our titles and seasons guide translates them.
How to watch
- Install YumePlay from Google Play.
- Search a title above or browse Popular Today.
- Choose your subtitle language. See the language guide.
- Watch two or three episodes before you decide, since many series start slowly.
YumePlay is free and needs no login. It does not host the videos and links to publicly available third-party sources, so availability can change.
Beginner tips
- Start with a series that has a recent season so you can catch up and then follow weekly.
- Use the airing list to plan.
- Do not worry about episode counts. Most arcs are easy to follow.
Frequently asked questions
What does donghua mean?
Donghua means Chinese animation. It is the Chinese counterpart of Japanese anime.
What is a cultivation donghua?
A story where characters train to grow stronger and rise through levels of power, often in fantasy worlds based on Chinese myth.
Where can I watch donghua free on my phone?
The YumePlay Android app is free from Google Play and has subtitles in 11 languages.