20 Classic Chinese Films On Netflix You Can Watch With Your Family This CNY

A mobster in China aspires to be part of the notorious Axe Gang, a group of killers who rule Hong Kong, but realises that it’s not easy. Stepping into a poor neighbourhood with unlikely heroes, he discovers his true purpose.

Main cast: Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Lam Chi Chung, Dong Zhi Hua, Chiu Chi Ling
Watch it if you like: – Comedy
– Martial arts
– Action

Release: 2004

The year 2012 marks the Year of the Dragon, where many Chinese families obsess over having children in the same year. This film explores a mother, who has been praying for a grandchild for a long time, when one day, she finally receives an unexpected blessing at her doorstep.

Main cast: Lai Meng, Dennis Chew, Kym Ng, Adrian Pang, Melvin Sia

Watch it if you like: – Family
– Comedy
– Singapore films

Release: 2012

This award-winning film is based on the true story of the legendary Ip Man, played by Donnie Yen. The film centres on the wealthy martial artist’s life during the Japanese invasion in China.

Main cast: Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Lynn Hung, Gordon Lam, Fan Siu Wong

Watch it if you like: – History
– Martial arts
– Films based on real life

Release: 2008

Be sure to check out Ip Man 2 and 3as well.

Although a poor construction worker struggles to make ends meet, he still works hard to provide for his son, Dicky. One day, he finds an orb and assumes it’s a toy. When Dicky inspects the orb, it turns out to be an alien with special powers.

Main cast: Stephen Chow, Xu Jiao, Zhang Yuqi

Watch it if you like: – Sci-fi
– Heartfelt films
– Comedy
– Family

Release: 2008

Set in the late 19th century, Wong Fei Hung, played by Jet Li, leads a group of men trained in martial arts to stop the foreign incursion in Hong Kong and Macau.

Main cast: Jet Li, Yuen Biao, Jacky Cheung, Steve Tartalia, Kent Cheng, Rosamund Kwan

Watch it if you like: – Hong Kong films
– Martial arts
– Period pieces

Release: 1991

You can also check out Once Upon A Time In China II and III.

A warrior gives his lover a legendary sword for safekeeping, but it unexpectedly gets stolen by a masked thief. As she tries to retrieve the legendary sword, she meets a teenager on the run from an arranged marriage.

Main cast: Chow Yun Fatt, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen

Watch it if you like: – Period pieces
– Martial arts
– Romance
– Adventure

Released: 2000

You can check out its sequel too – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.

A trio of burglars kidnaps a baby boy from a wealthy family on behalf of triads. However, the burglars eventually develop a close bond with the baby, and end up protecting him from the triads.

Main cast: Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, Michael Hui, Yuen Biao

Watch it if you like: – Comedy
– Action
– Hong Kong films
– Anti-hero

Release: 2006

Every year, young Singaporean male citizens are mandated to enlist in national service. This film depicts a young man’s childish and comical ways of trying to avoid enlistment, just so he can study abroad with his girlfriend.

Main cast: Joshua Tan, Noah Yap, Maxi Lim, Tosh Zhang, Irene Ang, Richard Low

Watch it if you like:
– Comedy
– Army
– Heartfelt films
– Singaporean films

Release: 2012

Be sure to check out the sequel on Netflix as well – Ah Boys To Men II.

Three schoolboys from different family backgrounds discover they have something in common – their inability to perform well in school. Together, the trio embarks on a journey to improve their grades, while facing family issues and peer pressure.

Main cast: Jack Neo, Xiang Yun, Richard Low, Selena Tan, Huang Poju, Joshua Ang, Shawn Lee

Watch it if you like: – Comedy
– Singaporean films
– Family
– Drama
– Heartfelt films

Release: 2002

Make sure to check out its sequel as well – I Not Stupid Too.

Wong Fei Hung is a mischievous yet righteous man. His father soon grows exasperated of his behaviour and arranges for Fei Hung to be trained and disciplined under a beggar, an expert in drunken martial arts.

Main cast: Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu Tian, Hwang Jang Lee, Dean Shek

Watch it if you like: – Hong Kong films
– Martial arts
– Comedy

Release: 1978

Two friends dream of performing on the Getai stage, a Chinese tradition of stage and song performances. As the duo realise their dreams of becoming Singapore’s most popular Getai performers, they face competitors who wish to sabotage their fame.

Main cast: Qi Yu Wu, Mindee Ong, Yeo Yann Yann, Liu Ling Ling

Watch it if you like: – Musicals
– Comedy
– Heartfelt films
– Tradition
– Singaporean films

Released: 2007

In Singapore, two taxi drivers from different walks of life cross paths and befriend each other. Both of them unexpectedly embark on a journey of self-discovery filled with trials, tribulations, and laughter.

Main cast: Mark Lee, Gurmit Singh, Gan Mei Yan, Jazreel Low

Watch it if you like: – Singaporean films
– Comedy
– Slapsticks
– Heartfelt films

Release: 2013

Andy, a legendary mahjong player faces a streak of bad luck after his ex-girlfriend spitefully wishes he’ll never win at the mahjong table again.

Main cast: Andy Lau, Lau Ching Wan, Louis Koo, Gigi Leung, Cherrie Ying, Man-Wai Wong

Watch it if you like: – Family
– Comedy
– Hong Kong films

Released: 2002

Inside a Chinese prison, two inmates with complicated pasts form a friendship and have to work together to survive prison politics and challenges.

Main cast: Chow Yun Fatt, Tony Leung Ka Fai, Ho Ka Kui, Roy Cheung

Watch it if you like: – Grit
– Action
– Crime
– Anti-hero

Release: 1987

You can also check out its sequel – Prison On Fire II.

A technician and a department director switch bodies after a freak accident. As the duo work together to get their original lives back, they end up learning more about each other and their family.

Main cast: Gurmit Singh, Fann Wong, Moses Lim, Samuel Chong, Brandon Wong, Suhaimi Yusof

Watch it if you like: – Comedy
– Slapsticks
– Family
– Singaporean films

Release: 2007

A police officer is assigned to guard a key witness to stand trial for a mob case he single-handedly solved. In the midst of his duties, he gets framed for the murder of a fellow police officer by a corrupt inspector.

Main cast: Jackie Chan, Maggie Cheung, Brigitte Lin, Yuen Chor, Bill Tung, Ken Tong

Watch it if you like: – Action
– Hong Kong films
– Crime

Release: 1985

The movie has sequels too – Police Story 2 and Police Story 3: Super Cop.

A TV news reporter tries to make ends meet to support himself and his family. One fine day, their luck and lives miraculously change when his wife wins the lottery.

Main cast: Bill Tung, Lydia Shum, Elsie Chan, Loletta Lee, Eric Tsang, John Chiang, Teddy Yip

Watch it if you like: – Comedy
– Family
– Hong Kong films
– Slapsticks

Release: 1987

Make sure to catch the sequels too – It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World Too and It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad World 3.

Sung is by far the best lawyer in Guangdong and other parts of China. However, because of his shyster ways of working, he receives terrible karma and considers giving up his practice.

Main cast: Stephen Chow, Anita Mui, Ng Man Tat, Carrie Ng, Wai Ai

Watch it if you like: – Slapsticks
– Comedy
– Action
– Period pieces

Release: 1992

A family matriarch and flatbread shop owner dies from heart complications. However, her spirit is unable to crossover to the other side, thus, she is given a chance to return to the living world, but in the body of a young woman.

Main cast: Bill Tung, Lydia Shum, Eric Tsang, Maggie Cheung, Dennis Chan

Watch it if you like: – Hong Kong films
– Comedy
– Family
– Fantasy

Release: 1988

Lam Bo Sang, the richest man in Hong Kong grows tired of his lavish lifestyle and wishes to live as an ordinary citizen, during which he falls in love with a restaurant owner’s sister. But it seems that their respective families have the couple’s future planned.

Main cast: Chow Yun Fatt, Sylvia Chang, Nina Li Chi, Lawrence Cheng, Ha Yu

Watch it if you like: – Comedy
– Hong Kong films
– Romance

Release: 1990