For Cindy Zhong, like many young Chinese women, a relaxing night used to mean curling up with a steamy story about two men in love. Then her favorite authors, and their tales, started disappearing.

Based on Meng Zhong De Yi’s novel, which is literally translated to “Pragmatist’s Love,” “Love Story in the 1970s” is a C-drama set against the backdrop of 1970s China. The series follows the evolving ...