Learn Chinese With Video

If you are living in China then you will probably want to learn to speak Mandarin. Here are a few resources where you can learn by watching videos in Chinese.

CCTV CCTV streams hundreds of Mandarin video lessons online for free, and their Learn Chinese page is a great resource for students, as well as a fun way to get to know mainland China. The video lessons range from survival Chinese for complete beginners to cultural studies content for advanced students.

Study More Chinese Study More Chinese is a social network for people learning Mandarin. There is a Chinese videos section that has a lot of video lessons and music that you can listen to. Users also write blogs and discussions in the forums.

Da Shan on Youtube Of course, you can't go wrong with China's favorite foreign Chinese speaker, Da Shan. Da Shan (born Mark Roswell of Canada) may drive you crazy with his relentlessly perfect Chinese, but his video lessons have a lot to teach you. You can find older videos on the DashanTV YouTube channel, which unfortunately is no longer maintained. (or search on youku)

No Drama Real China on Youtube This site doesn't offer Mandarin language lesson videos, per se, but students can still benefit from hearing street Chinese spoken by regular Chinese citizens. No Drama Real China asks one question ("Are Chinese people rich?" for example), and interviews several Chinese citizens for answers. The interviews include English and Mandarin subtitles, though the host is occasionally rather potty-mouthed. It's very similar to the more established Sexy Beijing, and gives viewers a chance not only to hear everyday Mandarin but also to witness reactions to major social issues in China.

I Am Xiaoli on Youtube Fans of David Lynch and/or Asian horror may also get a kick out of I Am Xiaoli. I Am Xiaoli videos feature a leather-clad host, a talking stuffed panda, and various other surreal elements who teach a simple Mandarin word or phrase. These Mandarin videos are, for lack of a better word, incredibly weird, and your mileage may vary.