Chinese drama The Early Spring has made a strong impression internationally after ranking second on Netflix’s latest Global Top 10 list for non-English TV shows.
On September 2, Netflix released its weekly rankings covering August 24 to August 30, with The Early Spring recording 2.4 million views worldwide and taking second place among non-English TV shows.
What makes the result even more notable is that the Youku drama had only been available for five days during the tracking period.
The Early Spring Makes Netflix History
According to reports, The Early Spring achieved the highest ranking ever recorded by a Chinese domestic drama on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list for non-English TV shows.
The drama ranked ahead of several other international productions, with another Chinese drama, Pursuit of Jade, also appearing on the list.
The Early Spring was the only Chinese drama in this week’s Top 10, showing that the series has managed to attract an audience outside China shortly after its premiere.
The drama has also been trending in several international markets, including Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Brazil.
Strong Performance in China
The drama has also been performing well on domestic platforms.
Within just three days of its premiere, The Early Spring surpassed a popularity index of 10,000 on Youku, reportedly setting a 2026 record for the fastest modern drama to reach the milestone.
Since August 29, the drama has also remained at the top of Yunhe’s daily ranking for effective full-length content. Its latest market share reportedly reached 25.3%.
This makes The Early Spring the second drama from Youku’s 2026 summer lineup to reach No. 1 on the chart, following Mystic Nine.
The drama has also consistently ranked No. 1 on Datawin’s daily full-length content ranking across online platforms and topped Maoyan’s overall online popularity chart.
With strong numbers both domestically and internationally, The Early Spring is quickly becoming one of the notable Chinese dramas of 2026.
What Is The Early Spring About?
The Early Spring follows Shang Zhi Tao (Sun Qian), a young woman with an ordinary educational background who unexpectedly gets an opportunity to work for a world-leading advertising agency.
She enters the company as a rookie and quickly discovers that the workplace is far more difficult than she expected.
On her first day, she encounters her sharp-tongued boss, Luan Nian (Jing Bo Ran), a highly talented “genius” in the advertising industry. Instead of encouraging her, he tells her that she should give up.
Despite the pressure, Shang Zhi Tao continues working to improve herself. As she gains experience, she gradually becomes more capable and learns how to stand on her own in the competitive workplace.
At the same time, her relationship with Luan Nian becomes increasingly complicated.
The two are drawn to each other while repeatedly getting closer and pulling apart. Through their relationship and their experiences in Beijing, they gradually begin to understand each other, heal from their past experiences, and grow as individuals.
As Luan Nian learns to control his sharp personality and Shang Zhi Tao becomes more confident and independent, the two eventually begin to change each other’s lives.
The Beijing Setting
One of the notable aspects of The Early Spring is its depiction of everyday life in Beijing.
The drama was filmed in the Tiantongyuan community, an area that represents the everyday environment experienced by many young people who move to Beijing in search of opportunities.
Rather than presenting Beijing only through its glamorous side, the drama focuses on the ordinary experiences of young people trying to establish themselves in the city.
For Shang Zhi Tao, these small experiences become part of her new life in Beijing.
Scenes such as resting on the bus after work, buying discounted bread on the way home, and sharing hot pot with her roommates show the more ordinary side of living in a major city.
These moments also help establish Tiantongyuan as an important part of Shang Zhi Tao’s early experiences in Beijing.
Where to Watch The Early Spring
The Early Spring is available to stream on Youku and Netflix.
With its strong domestic performance and its early success on Netflix’s Global Top 10 chart, the drama is already proving to be one of the more successful modern Chinese dramas of 2026.
If its international popularity continues to grow, The Early Spring could become another example of how Chinese modern dramas are finding larger audiences outside China.
