Promotional material for The Early Spring Photo: Douban

The Early Spring, an urban workplace romance produced by China's online video platform Youku, has become the highest-ranked Chinese mainland series ever on Netflix's global non-English TV chart, a result that industry analysts say marks a shift in how Chinese audiovisual content is winning over overseas audiences.

The drama ranked No.2 on the weekly chart for August 24-30, according to figures released by Youku. In its first five days, it recorded 2.4 million views and 21.5 million viewing hours. It was the only Chinese production in the global top 10 that week, Chinese news outlet The Paper reported.

The Early Spring is adapted from the web novel of the same name. It tells a story about a young professional navigating a competitive advertising agency while becoming entangled in a complex romance with her demanding superior. It was released on Youku and Netflix on August 26.

Industry observers told the Global Times that for years, Chinese drama exports were led by costume, historical and wuxia series, whose Eastern aesthetics and historical depth gave them a distinct edge. The Early Spring suggests contemporary Chinese stories about urban love, workplace pressure and personal growth can also travel widely. That is why its performance matters beyond a single title.

Tong Qiao, deputy director of the Network Literature Research Office at the Institute of Literature, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, attributed the breakthrough to the series' origin as an internet novel and its focus on universal values such as urban emotion and workplace dilemmas. 

The source material had already been tested by a large online readership, meaning the show was highly likely to resonate with audiences. It retains the subtlety of Eastern emotional expression while addressing globally shared issues. 

"Together with China's growing film and television industrial capacity and streaming reach, it has helped break the fixed impression that Chinese dramas are mainly costume or fantasy shows," Tang told the Global Times.

Data shows that costume dramas remain a major force. Platform iQIYI International's global content list for the first half of 2026 showed total views rose more than 130 percent year-on-year. Historical romance drama Pursuit of Jade topped both the all-category and Chinese-language global charts and was the most Google-searched Chinese costume drama worldwide since 2025. 

But the deeper change, according to Zhang Peng, a cultural researcher and associate professor at Nanjing Normal University, is that the logic of overseas expansion has shifted from costume spectacle to shared contemporary predicaments: career promotion, intimate relationships, family, female growth and urban loneliness. 

"These emotions are replicable across borders, with China providing a fresh context. Overseas audiences are beginning to want to see how contemporary Chinese people work, love, suffer setbacks and are healed," said Zhang.

He added that reality-based dramas are highly translatable because they have strong stories, light world-building and modern life scenes that lower barriers for overseas audiences. Universal emotions are key, he said, but noted that the industry still lacks global distribution operations and cross-cultural screenwriting talent.

Zhu Xinmei, director of the International Communication Research Institute at the National Radio and Television Administration's Development Research Center, echoed that common emotions are the "breakout engine." 

Zhu noted that Netflix has aired many Chinese IP adaptations, but only this one has broken out globally, proving the communicative power of contemporary Chinese stories and urban romance. International elements, including 4A agency workplaces, CBD offices, subway commutes, English character names and international brands, also reduced barriers. 

"Audiences in Latin America, the Arab world, Central Asia, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia are increasingly interested in contemporary China, with television becoming a key window for them. What overseas viewers see is not just a love story but a modern, internationalized China," said Zhu.