Chinese TV Shows to Learn Chinese – Netflix

There are literally dozens of Chinese TV shows to learn Chinese on Netflix. And making use of these has had a huge impact on my ability to go from intermediate mediocrity to a confident Mandarin speaker. In this blogpost, I’m going to explain how you can use Netflix as a powerful Chinese learning tool and suggest some of the best Chinese TV shows and Chinese language movies to take your skills to the next level.

Table of Contents:

1. Introduction: Using Chinese TV Shows to Learn Chinese on Netflix
2. Does Netflix Have Chinese Subtitles?
3. How To Look Up Chinese Words On Netflix
4. Netflix Chinese TV Series 
5. Chinese Language Movies on Netflix
6. Chinese Language Movies on Netflix – Dubbed
7. Best Netflix Standup with Chinese subtitles
8. Need help with Mandarin speaking?

Introduction: Using Chinese TV Shows to Learn Chinese on Netflix

In another blogpost, I shared the best apps to learn Chinese that have revolutionised the way we learn the language over the past decade. However, I omitted one key tool from my list of recommendations because I felt it deserved a blog of its own: Netflix.

Netflix has a large collection of Mandarin movies and TV series making it one of the best tools available to immerse in the language. I first delved into this content when I began learning Mandarin several years ago, and soon saw big improvements in my listening and speaking skills.

By watching Chinese TV shows to learn Chinese on Netflix, you can immerse yourself in natural language in a way that’s not possible with textbooks. Exposing yourself to colloquial Chinese also enables you to accurately mimic the tones of the Chinese language and nail authentic sentence structure

My method for using Netflix to learn Chinese is quite straightforward and mostly involves searching for interesting content before watching it and mining useful sentences to review later (for more on my sentence mining approach check out this blog on Chinese sentence mining).

Before we delve into the best Chinese content on Netflix though, there are a couple of additional points worth mentioning that can hugely improve and facilitate your learning experience .

Does Netflix Have Chinese Subtitles?

Netflix offers Chinese subtitles for all of its Chinese content and many of its TV shows and movies in other languages. You can usually choose between Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, depending on the content.

In order to enable these subtitles you should first check their availability for the show that you want to watch. To do this simply open the movie or show on Netflix, select the subtitle icon (speech bubble) or go to the “Audio & Subtitles” menu. Then, choose either Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese, if available.

You can also set Chinese as your default Language by going to Account Settings > Profile & Parental Controls > Language. Select your preferred language (e.g., Simplified or Traditional Chinese). This setting will prioratise showing subtitles and audio in your selected language when available.

If you’re not seeing Chinese subtitles for a specific title, that’s most likely because it’s not available for that language.

How To Look Up Chinese Words On Netflix

Anyone using Netflix for language learning purposes should download a Google Chrome plugin called Language Reactor. There is a free version of the plugin and for me it was a game changer.

When watching films on Netflix the plugin enables you to hover over unknown words and characters that come up in the subtitles and instantly discover their meaning.  

When you hover over a word to look it up the film automatically pauses, allowing time to create a Chinese flashcard of the word which you can review later. By clicking the forward and backwards arrows you can swiftly and conveniently skip to the following sentence and back again.

I prefer not to hover over every word I don’t know because if I did this I might never reach the end of the film. Instead, I prioritise saving words, phrases and sentences I’d like to use myself. I also look up characters I’ve not encountered before as well as keywords which prevent me from understanding the overall meaning of a sentence. 

Due to a lack of patience, I usually don’t watch the same episode or film more than once. However, a strategy that can work well for new learners is to watch an episode with English subtitles first, before watching it again with Mandarin subtitles. That way the second time you won’t have to worry about losing the plot and can concentrate instead on picking out comprehensible words and phrases. 

The Netflix TV shows to learn Chinese I’ve found most useful fall into the following categories: 

Netflix Chinese TV Series 

There are is a wide range of Chinese romantic TV series to choose from on Netflix. Some of these follow unoriginal plots which may not be to everybody’s taste. However, there are two reasons why they can be very effective for language learning.

First, the predictability of the storylines ironically helps make the content more comprehensible and easier to follow for intermediate learners. Second, they are addictive. So before you know it you’ll have clocked up dozens of hours of input.

I particularly enjoyed watching The Rational Life, a well-produced series reflecting the social pressures faced by many professional women in modern China. It follows a career-driven woman in her mid-thirties as she deals with pressure from her colleagues and mother to get married and have children.

On the more light-hearted side is Use for My Talent about a young cleaner who falls in love with her boss who has a phobia of germs. Despite their contrasting personalities, their shared experiences lead to to a (not entirely unpredictable and somewhat formulaic) love story. A good option for lower intermediate learners looking for light content that won’t be too difficult to follow.

Chinese Language Movies on Netflix

The Chinese language film industry is thriving, particularly Taiwanese productions, and several excellent films are available to watch on Netflix. I am used to immersing in listening material and interacting with native speakers from mainland China so the Taiwanese accent often presents more of a challenge.

However, in my opinion, the quality of Taiwanese film productions is on the whole far better and there is a wider variety of genres to choose from.

I especially recommend the critically acclaimed A Sun about a young man released from juvenile detention after being involved in a violent crime.

For fans of science fiction check out On Children which has been dubbed the Taiwanese Black Mirror. Each episode fuses futuristic technology with current social issues to tell allegorical stories about the strained relationships between young people and their controlling parents.

For fans of big budget blockbusters, The Wandering Earth is a sci-fi film, adapted from a novella by Liu Cixin, that tells the story of humanity attempting to save Earth from destruction by moving it out of orbit.

Featuring stunning visuals, it’s worth noting that the sci-fi themes mean the dialogues can get a bit tricky to follow at times, as they include technical jargon that doesn’t tend to appear in everyday conversation.

Chinese Language Movies on Netflix – Dubbed

Films produced in other languages but available to view with Mandarin dubs can be easier to understand than original Mandarin films. This is because the voice actor’s accent is usually very clear and the translated scripts tend to stick more closely to common words and expressions.

Productions worth checking out in this category include Zero to Hero, which tells the inspiring true story of Hong Kong Paralympic sprinter So Wa Wai, who overcame numerous challenges to achieve his dream of becoming a champion athlete.

The film explores his journey from childhood to international recognition, showcasing his determination despite physical limitations and the societal obstacles he faces. The Mandarin dub of this movie makes it even more accessible for audiences seeking clear dialogue and relatable language. With heartfelt performances, the story resonates universally as a testament to perseverance and family support.

The Legend of Bruce Lee is also worth checking out. This 50-episode series dramatises Bruce Lee’s formative years, his rise to fame, and the story of his influence on martial arts and global cinema.

The series also sheds light on his philosophical outlook and struggles in breaking barriers for Asian representation in Hollywood. Fans of martial arts and biographical dramas will find it an engaging and inspiring watch.

Netflix boasts a rich library of anime films, originally produced in Japanese, but often available with Mandarin dubs. Spirited Away, directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is an iconic Studio Ghibli film which follows Chihiro, a young girl who stumbles into a mysterious spirit world after her parents are transformed into pigs.

To save them and return to her world, she must work at a bathhouse for supernatural beings while navigating friendships and dangers. The film is known for its stunning animation.

Best Netflix Standup with Chinese subtitles

Netflix offers several great stand-up comedy specials that can be watched with Chinese subtitles, ideal for both entertainment and language practice. Although most of these don’t have Chinese audio, some of them do cover themes relevant to Chinese and east-Asian culture.

In Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America! , the Malaysian comedian delivers a sharp and witty take on life as an Asian immigrant in America, poking fun at consumer culture, racism, and the absurdities of modern life. His clever observations and fast-paced delivery make this special a standout, offering plenty of cultural humor and universal laughs.

In Ali Wong: Baby Cobra & Hard Knock Wife, American comedian Ali Wong covers motherhood, gender roles, and career ambitions. Her raw humor, paired with candid takes on family dynamics, makes her shows hilarious and relatable.

Wong’s unapologetic take on being an Asian American in Hollywood resonate with audiences and her show has been a big hit on Netflix.

How about you? Do you use Netflix to learn Mandarin? What shows do you recommend watching? Let me know in the comments below.