Chinese TV shows to help you learn Mandarin
If your Chinese is already at an intermediate (HSK4+) level but you’re still having trouble engaging in a natural conversation, then you should probably start watching a 电视剧 (diànshìjù: soap opera). Watching Chinese TV series and shows is undoubtedly the easiest way to improve your Chinese listening skills. Here we have some handpicked Chinese TV shows to help you learn Mandarin. Don’t worry if you can’t understand everything at first, it will become easier with time. Just sit back, relax and feel the magic of 电视剧 working on your brain.
Chinese TV series, especially those focusing on modern daily life, are good Mandarin learning materials since plain language is used. In addition to improving your language, they also present you with a more authentic picture of Chinese culture than those from textbooks.
So here are some suggestions to search for on Bilibi or Iqiyi, or even on YouTube.
A love for Separation
小别离 Xiǎo Biélí
Language Level: ★★★☆☆
Recommend: ★★★★★
Find it on: Bilibili
Nowadays in China, more and more middle/high school students are going abroad for education. But going abroad at such a young age is no easy thing for families in China, mentally and physically. This TV series is about three different families facing the same choice, to go or not to go abroad. Going through their stories, you can understand more about the real lives of people from different social status in China.
A little Reunion TV show
小欢喜 Xiǎo Huānxǐ
Language Level: ★★★☆☆
Recommend: ★★★★★
Find it on: Bilibili
Similar to Xiǎo Biélí, Xiǎo Huānxǐ is also focusing on Chinese education. But this one is more on those who didn’t choose to go abroad, aka, the ones who have to strive for a better future life. Under the huge pressure from the Gāokǎo (college entrance examination), many things are different from western culture, such as that students are not allowed to have relationships and that GPA is everything.
Although TV series are good materials, they are long and addictive. Sometimes, we want something easy and fun. In this case, cartoons can be a good alternative.
Peppa Pig in Chinese
小猪佩琦
Language Level: ★★☆☆☆
Recommend: ★★★★★
Find it on: Iqiyi
Peppa Pig is a cartoon from the UK, but also quite popular in China. Luckily, we have it dubbed in Chinese as well. It has really short episodes so it would be handy to focus on one episode per day. Also, the storyline in each episode is easy to follow, thus, providing you with better contexts to understand and learn new words.
Romance in the Rain
情深深雨蒙蒙 qíng shēnshēn yǔ méngméng
Language Level: ★★★☆☆
Recommend: ★★★★☆
Find it on: YouTube
Set in 1930’s Shanghai, this kitsch romantic Chinese TV show is about the young daughter of a general’s estranged first wife. Almost everybody I have met has watched it, and in 2001 it was one of the most popular 电视剧 in China! However, don’t tell anybody you’re watching it until you’re finished, or they might accidentally let out a 剧透 (jùtòu: spoiler).
Let’s get married
咱们结婚吧zánmen jiéhūn ba
Language Level: ★★★★☆
Recommend: ★★★★☆
Two 阿姨 (āyí: aunty) strive to find their unmarried adult children a partner before it’s too late, but are their high standards unrealistic? I’m not a huge fan of modern romantic dramas, but this one made me lol.
Rookie Agent Rouge
胭脂yānzhi
Language Level: ★★★★☆
Recommend: ★★★★★
Find it on: YouTube
This drama is pretty good, despite the terribly translated English name. This wartime epic follows the journey of two best friends, one an amateur spy and the other a rich general’s daughter. Things get messed up really quickly. A big step up in quality from most other dramas, but way more challenging to understand because of the plot twists, cryptic messages and double-crosses.
Other series mentioned by our students are ‘爸爸去哪儿’, and on Netflix ‘Meteor Garden’, ‘Accidentally in Love’, ‘Love 020’, and ‘Well-intended love’. So that’s our recommendations for Chinese TV shows to help you learn Mandarin!
