Best romance movies on iQiyi with SubHub

Growing up in an Asian household in Australia, you couldn’t help but notice the cultural differences between the ‘outside world’ and the traditions within the home. A running joke within the Asian community is that most parents and sometimes even spouses will ask ‘have you eaten?’ in place of “I love you’.

Romance in Asia isn’t so different from the rest of the world - but it does come with its own unique cultural influences and reservations, that more often or not are about heart rather than explosive announcements of love. Asian cinema is very much the same.

So, while there probably won’t be any kissing in the rain or random musical numbers, Asian cinema has arguably delivered some of the world’s best romantic movies.

Whether you prefer the classic heartbreak stories or just wanted to laugh, check out our recommendations for the best Asian romantic films on iQiyi.

After suddenly losing her father at just 12 years old, May Lam inherits his failing herbal tea shop. Determined to keep her family legacy alive, May Lam takes on the management role at the price of her youth and turns the once unsuccessful shop into a booming local business that brings the entire neighbourhood together.

For the longest time, May Lam has considered all the men in her life as either friends or brothers as she didn’t know otherwise- but when a young man joins the community, she coaches him on how to win back his ex-girlfriend to only realise a little too late, that she might be in love for the first time.

Herbal Tea is a sweet coming of age movie that will go perfect with a box of tissues.

They say love is blind – but what happens when you gain vision and clarity? Is the love still real?

Successful blind businessman Ren Hao Ming hires Ruan Qing Tian as his caretaker. At first Ming is reluctant to let go of his ego and independence but with Tian’s constant kind nature and innocence, his barriers start to come down and gradually through their daily interactions – the duo fall in love.

As sweet as that sounds, we all know it wouldn’t be an Asian romance movie without a little drama. Ming eventually undergoes corneal surgery to regain his vision in the hopes to propose Tian – but things are not always as they appear. Without knowing what Tian looks like, her twin sister intervenes in Ming’s recovery and attempts to steal her sister’s marriage by pretending to be her.

If you were struggling to find a movie that covers all bases, the recently released My Dear Bodyguard is one to watch. It’s got romance, it’s got charm and surprisingly it’s also got assassins and explosions. My Dear Bodyguard sounds ridiculous and admittedly it is – but the good kind.

Imagine combining Whitney Houston’s Bodyguard with Liam Neeson’s Taken and then adding in the adrenaline of any Fast and Furious movie – mix that altogether and you’ve got ‘My Dear Bodyguard’.

After failing to protect the Sherry family from being murdered, Han Bins retires from his career as an elite bodyguard in disgrace and disappears into a life of alcoholism and regret. Living as a recluse for a couple years, Han Bins soon discovers that he has now the target of an assassination mission after discovering a sole survivor of the Sherry family is out for revenge.

Where is the romance you ask? Just wait and see.

It should be said straight out front – this is not a movie about Italian desserts in any way, shape, or form. Tiramisu is a romantic fantasy film set in Hong Kong that involves ghosts (quite the opposite to what you would expect I imagine).

The story follows Fung, a delivery boy and his chance encounters with Jane, an aspiring dancer. The two meet and start the beginnings of a romantic courtship just before long Jane suddenly dies in a car accident. As you’ve probably guessed it by now – things are not all as they seem, she becomes a ghost.

Jane is given seven days to “live” in order to fulfill her dying wish of seeing the dance competition she should have been competing in – the only catch is, she must do so in Fung’s body.

The third arc of the film takes a shift in tone that you probably won’t be see coming - but should certainly give it a watch for yourself.

A slight oldie but what a goodie.

In this Thai classic, Mai and his younger brother Meg unknowingly fall in in love with the same girl, Pon.

Yet despite their jealousy for one another, they soon learn that love for your family is far stronger to let any girl get between. When their family begin to have financial problems and their livelihoods are put at a risk, the brother’s team together as only brother can do and enter a life of crime.

Overtime their bond eventually wains and they both struggle to balance their rivalry and comradery especially when they soon realise that the other is still in love with Pon. Watching this movie, you are constantly choosing sides and somehow still rooting for both.

While this film is considerably unknown in western media, Romantic Blue is a hugely successful film in Asia and was even the highest grossing Thai movie of 1995. Check it out.

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