Best Netflix movies & series to learn Chinese

Movies & series, especially those about modern daily life, are great Mandarin learning materials since plain language is used. Plus they’ll also show you a more realistic picture of Chinese culture than you’d find in textbooks.

Scroll down for series & movies on Netflix.

Best movies & series for children for learning Chinese

Children can learn Chinese really well through watching movies in which Mandarin Chinese is spoken. They’ll get familiar to the sounds of the Chinese language, while reading subtitles in English (or another language). We specifically list only movies spoken in Chinese here, so some fantastic movies such as ‘Mulan’, ‘Kong-Fu Panda’, or ‘Over the Moon’ don’t count.

The language is easy to understand so it’s also really suitable for beginner Chinese learners. Great for a whole family viewing! You can find most of these movies on YouTube, iQIYI, or you can download them somewhere.

Boonie Bears

Suits children 6 to 15 years old

These two cuddly, funny, and sometimes a bit silly bears get into all sorts of trouble. They speak Chinese with a slight Dongbei accent, which is fine for you to learn Mandarin with. The movies and episodes are still being produced so they’re quite modern. The two main characters are Briar (熊大; Xióngdà) and Bramble (熊二; Xióng’èr). The Chinese name of this show is 熊出没 (xióng chūmò).

best movies learning Chinese

Happy Daddy and Son

From 3 year to 6 years old

The Chinese name for this show is 大头儿子和小头爸爸 Dàtóu er zi hé xiǎo tóu bàba, and many Chinese children identify with this parent-to-child relationship. There are movies and several seasons filled with episodes.

best movies learning Chinese

Super Wings

3 years and older

This series looks a bit like Disney’s Plane movie, with talking planes that rescue all sorts of people and animals. They travel to different countries to learn about various cultures. The Chinese name is 超级飞侠大百科 Chāojí fēi xiá dà bǎikē, which translates into ‘Super Flying Man Encyclopedia’.

best movies learning Chinese

Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf

From 3 to 10 years old

The Chinese name of this series is 喜羊羊與灰太狼Xǐyángyáng yǔ huītàiláng, and it’s known by many Chinese children. It’s about a wolf who wants to eat a goat, but of course, that never happens. The show started in 2005 and a movie was added in 2009. There are now 34 seasons and 2573 episodes. The hero of the story is Happy (sometimes translated in subtitles as Weslie) whose Chinese name is 喜羊羊; Xǐ Yángyáng). He’s a positive inspiration and loves sport (such as basketball).

Chinese movies

Top Chinese movies from 2020 for learning Chinese

Although the worldwide movie industry has been greatly affected by covid-19 (the new James Bond has been delayed three times) — some great movies were released in China, some of which are also good learning materials for Mandarin learners. Here’s a list of movies from 2020 worth watching. These movies are all spoken in clear 普通话 Putonghua Mandarin Chinese language.

八佰《The Eight Hundred》

Based on the 1937 Battle of Songhu in Shanghai, this film tells the story of a reinforced battalion of the 524th Regiment of the 88th Division of the 3rd War Zone of the Chinese National Revolutionary Army, known as the “Eight Hundred Strong Soldiers”, who held the Sihang Warehouse on the banks of the Suzhou River in Shanghai, who blocked the Japanese army.