These are some of my favorites links. I’ll update this page more frequently in the future, so check back once in a while. No Mandarin knowledge required.
Magazines and News
Sixth Tone is an online magazine covering trending topics. In their own
words: "...go beyond buzzwords and headlines to tell the uncommon stories of common people." This site has become an essential
breakfast item, almost like my cup of coffee.
Weibo in China is similar to Twitter in the west. What’s on Weibo is an
independent news site reporting social trends in China.
Andy Boreham's Reports on China aims to counter the Western
anti-China narrative and is doing a very good job in my opinion.
There's always more than one side to a story. Unless we dig a little deeper, we will never know the truth, we will only know 'a' truth.
I like supplementing information provided by the big western media outlets with Asian viewpoints, fully aware that I still don't get the full picture:
Check South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) and
Global Times (Mainland).
Podcasts
I thoroughly enjoy listening to Round Table China. A group of young
people discusses all kinds of topics that are hot in China right now.
The Honest Drink is a podcast by three American-raised friends
living in China. In their own words, they candidly explore the madness of modern behavior from where East meets West. You can also find
the show on Spotify and other major Podcast platforms. I find their topics very engaging and not only brigding cultures but also generations.
Even seasoned China enthusiasts will find interesting surprises in A Thousand Whys.
Cyrus Janssen's Youtube channel adds a different and well researched
perspective to the usually pretty one-sided representation of today's China in western media.
TV Shows & Movies
Viki is a video streaming website specializing on Asian productions,
with a large selection of new Mainland China content, some currently on air.
There are also many Taiwan productions.
For a challenge, turn the English subtitles off. Ad free and in HD quality across all devices with a subscription - well worth it!
Wikipedia has comprehensive additional information, very useful if there are many characters or clans involved.
MyDramaList.com is another excellent source for Asian films. If a show is not available on Viki,
check Youtube.
Three times a week, Marcus Here! publishes a Chinese entertainment update.
Find out about the Chinese dramas that have recently premiered, have a release date, or started filming.
AvenueX is another channel featuring Chinese dramas. I like her humorous, thorough,
and well-presented take.
Literature
Looking for something new to listen to, I stumbled on a podcast series called
Water Margin Podcast: Outlaws of the Marsh. John Zhu retells the classic
Chinese novel Water Margin (水浒传 shuǐ hǔ zhuàn), one of the Four Classic Novels of Chinese literature, in English in an entertaining and captivating way.
A few supplemental episodes shed a light on historical and cultural context, such as the one about "Money": what is a "string of coins",
how much did a government official earn, how much of their income did common people spend on grain alone?
In John's latest project, he retells the classic Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods
in English.
Music
As a Viki and Chinese drama fan, I often get hooked on sound track and theme songs. My Spotify play lists Chinese Drama
are public. Get a taste here, then listen to it directly on Spotify - the quality is much better.
