TV Series Recommendations and Index Thread

[renzhe]

Why watch?

TV series are one of the best ways to improve your listening skills and vocabulary. While many of them are rather poor, there are some true gems out there, and you can watch and download most of them on the internet.

Based on our majestic Grand First Episode Project, this thread will give you the most important information you need to jump right into it. Most of the threads linked here will have summaries and vocabulary lists with translations to help you through the first episode, and often there are English subtitles and discussion. All of these will help you follow and understand better.

What do I watch?

The following series were all highly rated by the posters here. If you're looking for high-quality shows, you won't go wrong with one of the following:

Sci-Fi / Fantasy

魔幻手机 A solid favourite among posters here, this hodgepodge of robot girls, Journey to the West, magic mobile phones and time travelling is one of the most entertaining ways to learn Chinese.

Action / Spies

潜伏 This 1940's undercover story features a very intricate plot, great acting, and dark, subdued humour.

Historical

雍正王朝 Extremely challenging in terms of language, but a very accurate and beautifully filmed portrayal of the reign of the 雍正 emperor during the Qing dynasty.

走向共和 A vivid portrayal of the last days of the Qing and the events that led to the creation of the Republic. Many memorable performances.

Kung Fu / Wuxia

射雕英雄传 One of the most beloved wuxia stories ever told, in several popular versions.

天龙八部 Perhaps 张级中's best, a beautifully shot story featuring a very complex and intriguing plot.

Comedy

武林外传 If you can follow the language and all cultural references in this wuxia-styled sitcom, you'll definitely enjoy the contagious hilarity of it all. Transcripts attached.

爱情公寓 Essentially "Friends in Shanghai", this is one is actually funny. Lots of culturally loaded references useful for learning about modern China.

Drama

空镜子 An absolutely magnificent drama about the lives of two sisters in Beijing. A very touching and expertly filmed series.

Suitable for Beginners

家有儿女 This omnipresent sitcom will not change your life, but it consists of relatively simple, short episodes that are entertaining enough. Transcripts attached.

奋斗 A thoroughly watchable youth soap opera that might be challenging for beginners, but features loads of useful situations and vocabulary, with explanations and transcripts. Basically, perfect study material.

Of course, there are many other shows we've covered, and many of them are very entertaining. If you'd like to look for something closer to your tastes, please look through the following

Edited February 14, 2011 at 10:57 AM by renzhe

[renzhe]

TV series covered so far:

1. 士兵突击 The kid from 天下无贼，盲井 and 暗算 joins the army ( Discussion - Emule - torrent - youtube - youku )

2. 空镜子 Two sisters in Beijing fall in love, fall out of love, marry, etc. ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

3. 武林外传 A motley crew of scoundrels and ne'er do wells accidentally open an inn ( Discussion - Emule - torrent - youku )

4. 微笑Pasta Taiwanese urban romance ( Discussion - youku )

5. 神探狄仁杰 Tang Dynasty detective stories ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

6. 我爱我家 Much-loved family sitcom set in 90s Beijing ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

7. 落地请开手机 A flight attendant, her family, a group of mobsters, and a lost mobile phone ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

8. 魔幻手机 Time traveling mobile phone meets Journey to the West ( Discussion - Emule - Sohu HD )

9. 家有儿女 Family comedy. Husband and wife remarry, creating a chaotic and fairly easy to follow household ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

10. 康乾盛世秘史 Drama aboot the Jesuit Castiglione becoming the court artist in Beijing. Stars Dashan ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

11. 奋斗 Follows the trials and tribulations of a cohort of fresh graduates in Beijing ( Discussion - Emule - tudou )

12. 好想好想谈恋爱 The Chinese Sex in The City ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

13. 暗算 Secret unit attempting to detect and decode transmissions by Nationalist agents in the early 50 ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

14. 编辑部的故事 A younger Ge You stars in a classic early 90s (?) series about a struggling magazine ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

15. 中国式离婚 Marriage and divorce - mostly divorce - in modern China ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

16. 北京人在纽约 Jiang Wen stars in a tale of Chinese emigrants making their way in New York ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

17. 金婚 50 years of a Chinese marriage. Although you only get one year in the first episode ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

18. 狼毒花 A hard-drinking, womanizing ruffian takes on the Japanese army, mostly single-handed ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

19. 5号特工组 A team of special agents work to fight the Japanese in late-30s Shanghai ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

20. 美味关系 Cooking and romance in modern Taiwan ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

21. 狂花凋落 International secret agents set their sights on a figure crucial to China's space program ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

22. 天龍八部 Martial arts and intrigue during the Northern Song dynasty (Jin Yong adaptation) ( Discussion - Emule - youku - tudou - torrent )

23. 上海灘 Newcomer to Shanghai accidentally saves the life of a leading businessman's daughter. Oldie goldie ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

24. 孽子 Dark Taiwanese drama about a young gay man dealing with societal pressures ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

25. 亮剑 Fighting the Japanese during the 2nd world war ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

26. 雍正王朝 Qing dynasty, historical, with skylee's recommendation ( Discussion - Emule (no subs) - youku )

27. 双面胶 An idyllic marriage changes after husband's mother moves in, muyongshi's recommendation ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

28. 醉侠张三 "Drunken Master Zhang San" light-hearted comedy/adventure about a young gongfu master ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

29. 走向共和 "Towards the Republic", late Qing, early Republic historical series with skylee's recommendation ( Discussion - youku )

30. 少年包青天 Song dynasty martial arts/detective stories ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

31. 花樣少年少女 Taiwanese Manga-based high-school gender-bender entertainment ( Discussion - Emule rmvb - Emule avi - youku )

32. 大明王朝 1566 Ming dinasty, historical ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

33. 意難忘 "Unforgettable", a popular Taiwanese romance, calibre2001's recommendation ( Discussion - youku )

34. 笑傲江湖 Another famous JinYong Wuxia adaptation ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

35. 皆大歡喜 "Harmony", Ming dynasty romance and intrigue, calibre2001's recommendation ( Discussion - youku - tudou )

36. 与青春有关的日子 A police investigation brings back memories of growing up in the 1960s, friendship, and love. ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

37. 野蠻奶奶 II "Wars Of In-Laws II". The sequel to a beloved comedy show, calibre2001's recommendation ( Discussion - tudou )

38. 丑女无敌 The Chinese version of US show Ugly Betty. ( Discussion - Emule )

39. 子夜 Shanghai business/military intrigue ( Discussion - Emule - tudou )

40. 锁春记 Unusual claustrophobic family drama ( Discussion - Emule - ku6 )

41. 我们俩的婚姻 romance and marriage drama ( Discussion - Sohu HD - youku - Emule )

42. 射雕英雄传 Legend of the Condor Heroes ( Discussion - Emule - youku - tudou )

43. 倾城之恋 Love in a fallen city, Based on an Eileen Chang story ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

44. 雾都魅影 PLA vs. Taiwan spies, kung-fu style ( Discussion - Emule - tudou )

45. 秘密图纸 Gritty modern military spy show ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

46. 大生活 Tragicomedy starring a Sichuanese mechanic with penchant for getting in trouble ( Discussion - Emule - 56.com )

47. 俞净意公遇灶神记 A feel-good family morality fable set in the Ming dynasty ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

48. 我的青春谁做主 Modern youth drama riding on the success of 奋斗 ( Discussion - Emule - youku - Sohu HD )

49. 局中局 Company finds an unlikely double to pose as an ill manager, onebir's recommendation ( Discussion - Emule avi - Emule rmvb - youku )

50. 潜伏 A KMT agent engaged to a communist sympathiser ends up undercover behind enemy lines ( Discussion - Emule - tudou )

[renzhe]

51. 我们的八十年代 A fresh graduate comes to work in a salt factory in the 80s ( Discussion - Emule - youku - sohu )

52. 蓝色档案 Another spy show, but this one is set in Shanghai during the 40s (!!!) ( Discussion - youku )

53. 软弱 Miss Irresistable meets Mr. Irresistable. But he's married to her sister. Uh-oh. ( Discussion - emule - tudou - youku )

54. 特警出击 Elite police squad fighting terrorists in Hong Kong ( Discussion - emule - youku - tudou )

55. 惡作劇之吻 It started with a kiss. In a Taiwanese high school. ( Discussion - Emule1 2 3 - youku - mysoju )

56. 迷雾 urban corruption thriller from the director of 潜伏 ( Discussion - Emule avi - Emule rmvb - youku )

57. 狙击手 WWII sniper series with 陆涛 from 奋斗 playing a KMT soldier ( Discussion - sohu )

58. 白色巨塔 Taiwanese hospital drama and romance ( Discussion - tudou - youku )

59. 家 Based on 巴金's famous novel. ( Discussion - youku )

60. 痞子英雄 A modern Taiwanese police drama with a Miami Vice vibe ( Discussion - Emule - youku )

61. 我是一棵小草 Student cheating on his girl returns, but an unhappy incident throws everyone's life into disarray ( Discussion - 56.com )

62. 神雕侠侣 Return of the Condor Heroes, Jin Yong adaptation ( Discussion - Emule - youku - English subs )

63. 给我一只烟 Edgy modern romance/drama focussing on the life of KTV girls / 小姐 ( Discussion - 56.com - tudou - sohu )

64. 重案六组 A modern police show. Regular coppers, not super agents. ( Discussion - youku - tudou HD - Emule RMVB )

65. 长恨歌 Based on 王安忆's novel ( Discussion - Emule1 - Emule2 - youku )

66. 蜗居 Controversial drama about housing troubles and adultery ( Discussion )

67. 东方朔 Historical comedy about a famous Han Dynasty official ( Discussion - CCTV - Ku6 - Emule )

68. 雾里看花 Drama about antique traders ( Discussion - Emule )

69. 倚天屠龙记 Final installment of Jin Yong's Condor Heroes wuxia trilogy. (Discussion - tudou - Emule )

70. 愛情公寓 Seven people. One apartment. Basically Chinese "Friends" ( Discussion - Emule - English subs - youtube)

71. 就想賴著妳 Light-hearted and funny Taiwanese romantic comedy ( Discussion - sugoideas (w/ English subs) )

72. 红楼梦 A classic TV version of the famous novel ( Discussion - tudou )

73. 血色浪漫 1960s Beijing 流氓 ( Discussion - tudou )

74. 茶馆 Historic turmoil from the point of view of a teahouse, based on the famous 老舍 story ( Discussion - youtube )

75. 毛骗 An online series which follows a group of young con-artists ( Discussion - youku )

76. 换换爱 A poor student girl meets two rich boys at a charity event. Taiwanese romance ( Discussion - stream )

77. 大明宫词 Historical drama about 武则天, China's only female emperor ( Discussion - tudou )

78. 防火墙5788 A soap comedy about a high-tech Beijing company ( Discussion - tudou - joy.cn - Emule )

79. 和空姐一起的日子 A sappy mainland romantic comedy in the Taiwanese idol-drama style. ( Discussion - sina - youku - qiyi )

80. 婆婆来了 A hard-working country boy meets the Beijing princess ( Discussion - tudou - qiyi )

81. 手机 a major theme of the show is the role that mobile phones play in the modern lifestyle ( Discussion )

82. 美人心计 Court intrigue (and some fighting) during the Han Dynasty ( Discussion - sogou )

83: 家的N次方 A modern comedy/drama set in Beijing that is somewhere between 家有儿女 and 奋斗 ( Discussion - Tudou )

84: 黎明之前 Spy series taking place during the late phases of Chinese civil war ( Discussion - verycd - sohu hd )

85: 孔雀翎 Gu Long-based Wuxia show about one of the 5 great weapons of Wulin ( Discussion - youtube hd - youku - tudou )

86: 螳螂 It's a bit like Charlie's Angels set in late 40's China ( Discussion - verycd - funshion )

87: 步步惊心 Romantic comedy about a girl who wakes up in Qing dinasty ( Discussion )

88: 男人帮 Relationship-based tragicomedy set in modern Shanghai ( Discussion )

89: 铁血警魂 Mayor tough on crime, based on the real story of 薄熙来 ( Discussion )

90: AA制生活 Follows the relationships of two young couples in modern Beijing ( Discussion )

91: 后宫甄嬛传 Intrigue in Yongzheng Emperor's harem ( Discussion )

92: 北京爱情故事 3 friends, 3 different backgrounds -- love in modern Beijing ( Discussion )

93: 夫妻那些事 Drama about a 30-something couple with everyday challenges ( Discussion )

94: 现场铁证 Cop investigator stories similar to CSI ( Discussion )

95: 朱元璋 Fall of the Yuan and the beginning of the Ming dinasty ( Discussion )

96: 红蝎子 Crime/police drama about smuggling cases in Yunnan ( Discussion )

[renzhe]

How do I choose a show suitable for my level?

Difficulty ranking for all the shows covered so far:

1 - 士兵突击: Upper intermediate (non-standard accent) - VST

2 - 空镜子: Lower intermediate (Beijing accent) - VS

3 - 武林外传: Very advanced (cultural references, classical language, fast) - T

4 - 微笑Pasta: Lower Intermediate (traditional subtitles, Taiwanese accent) - SE

5 - 神探狄仁杰: Upper intermediate (classical language, chengyu) - V

6 - 我爱我家: Advanced (Beijing accent, fast, cadre language) - VT

7 - 落地请开手机: Lower intermediate (some gangster-speak) - VS

8 - 魔幻手机: Intermediate (but with references to 西游记) - VS

9 - 家有儿女: Lower Intermediate (but a wide range of topics, often new vocab) - VST

10 - 康乾盛世秘史: Lower intermediate (with some English and Italian) - S

11 - 奋斗: Intermediate (colloquial Beijing speech) - VST

12 - 好想好想谈恋爱: Upper intermediate (fast, colloquial) - VT

13 - 暗算: Upper Intermediate (military/political vocab) - VS

14 - 编辑部的故事: Advanced (no subtitles, colloquial) - S

15 - 中国式离婚: Intermediate - VS

16 - 北京人在纽约: Lower intermediate (but no subtitles)

17 - 金婚: Lower intermediate - VS

18 - 狼毒花: Lower intermediate - VS

19 - 5号特工组: Intermediate - VS

20 - 美味关系: Lower intermediate (Taiwanese accent, trad. subtitles) - VSE

21 - 狂花凋落: Intermediate (but the first 10 minutes are hard) -VS

22 - 天龙八部: Upper intermediate (wuxia, some classical phrasing) - VSE

23 - 上海灘: Lower Intermediate (trad. subtitles) - S

24 - 孽子: Lower Intermediate (trad. subtitles) - S

25 - 亮剑: Advanced (heaps of military/political vocab) - VS

26 - 雍正王朝: Very advanced (imperial/historical language, complex plot) - VS

27 - 双面胶: Intermediate (Shanghainese accent, some Shanghainese dialect, fast) - VS

28 - 醉侠张三: Intermediate (mostly simple, but with some classical-style language) - VS

29 - 走向共和: Upper Intermediate (political language, chengyu) - V

30 - 少年包青天 Advanced (classical language, chengyu) - VS

31 - 花樣少年少女 Elementary (traditional subtitles) - VSE

32 - 大明王朝 1566 Advanced (imperial/historical language, complex plot) - VS

33 - 意難忘 Lower Intermediate - VS

34 - 笑傲江湖 Intermediate - VS

35 - 皆大歡喜 Advanced (chengyu, older vocab, unclear) - VS

36 - 与青春有关的日子 Upper Intermediate - VS

37 - 野蠻奶奶大戰戈師奶 Intermediate (dubbed, trad. subtitles) - VSE

38 - 丑女无敌 Lower Intermediate - S

39 - 子夜 Intermediate - S

40 - 锁春记 Lower Intermediate - S

41 - 我们俩的婚姻 Upper Intermediate - S

42 - 射雕英雄传 Upper Intermediate (wuxia, no subtitles) - S

43 - 倾城之恋 Intermediate - V

44 - 雾都魅影 Intermediate - S

45 - 秘密图纸 Intermediate - VS

46 - 大生活 Upper Intermediate (simple vocab, strong accent, bad sound quality) - S

47 - 俞净意公遇灶神记 Lower Intermediate (classical language in later episodes) - S

48 - 我的青春谁做主 - Intermediate (colloquial Beijing speech) - SE

49 - 局中局 Elementary - VS

50 - 潜伏 - Advanced (spy/political vocab, complex plot) - VS

51 - 我们的八十年代 Intermediate - VS

52 - 蓝色档案 - n/a

53 - 软弱 - Intermediate - VS

54 - 特警出击 - Intermediate - VS

55 - 惡作劇之吻 - Intermediate - VSE

56 - 迷雾 - n/a - VS

57 - 狙击手 - n/a - S

58 - 白色巨塔 - Intermediate - VS

59 - 家 - Lower Intermediate - VS

60 - 痞子英雄 - Intermediate - VSE

61 - 我是一棵小草 - n/a - VS

62 - 神雕侠侣 - Upper Intermediate (generally OK, but with some bookish/rare words and phrases) - VSE

63 - 给我一只烟 - Upper Intermediate (some chengyu, colloquial) - VS

64 - 重案六组 - Intermediate - VS

65 - 长恨歌 - n/a - VS

66 - 蜗居 - Upper Intermediate - S

67 - 东方朔 - Intermediate - VS

68 - 雾里看花 - Upper Intermediate - VS

69 - 倚天屠龙记 - Upper Intermediate - VE

70 - 愛情公寓 - Upper Intermediate (lots of modern vocab, slang and chengyu) - SE

71 - 就想賴著妳 - Lower Intermediate (Taiwanese accent, trad. subtitles) - VSE

72 - 红楼梦

73 - 血色浪漫

74 - 茶馆 - - VS

75 - 毛骗

76 - 换换爱 - - SE

77 - 大明宫词

78 - 防火墙5788 - Intermediate (Beijing accent, some colloquialisms and business language) - VS

79 - 和空姐一起的日子 - Lower Intermediate - S

80 - 婆婆来了 - Lower Intermediate (some mild northern rural accent) - S

81 - 手机 - - S

82 - 美人心计 - Intermediate (mostly easy, but with some Han-dynasty vocabulary and some formal language)

83 - 家的N次方 - Intermediate (Beijing accent) - S

84 - 黎明之前 - Upper Intermediate (some military and political terminology and chengyu) - S

85 - 孔雀翎 - Intermediate (Wuxia jargon) - S

86 - 螳螂 - Upper Intermediate - VS

87 - 步步惊心 - Advanced (Qing court language)- E

88 - 男人帮 - Intermediate (word play) -

89 - 铁血警魂 - Advanced -

90 - AA制生活 - Lower Intermediate (Beijing accent) - VS

91 - 后宫甄嬛传 - Advanced (Qing court language) -

92 - 北京爱情故事 - -

93 - 夫妻那些事 - -

94 - 现场铁证 - -

95 - 朱元璋 - -

96 - 红蝎子 - -

These are just suggestions, feel free to correct.

Rough guideline:

- Elementary - stuff for people who have a grasp of everyday vocabulary

- Lower Intermediate: simple, clear and basic vocab

- Intermediate: more slang, specialised vocab

- Upper Intermediate: chengyu, specialised vocab, often fast and unclear speech

- Advanced: Fast, colloquial, slang, dialects and/or classical language, requires a high-level skill

- Very Advanced: You need near-native skills to make sense of this

V = Vocabulary list available

S = Plot summary available

T = Transcript available (or a subtitle file)

E = English subtitles available

[renzhe]

How do I watch?

Follow the discussion links to the threads describing each individual show. Inside the discussion thread, there are links for watching the first episode (and usually the rest of the series).

The shows which are on youtube or youku or tudou or ku6 or mysoju or viikii and similar don't need any special software to watch. They are webpages with streaming content and will work in any modern browser with the Flash plugin installed. Just click and watch, no danger. Keep in mind that some of these are located in China and that the streaming might be choppy if you're watching from abroad. There are even ways to download these (in .flv format).

The shows which are available through the EDonkey / Emule network require you to install a program to download them. The upside is that you can download the show and watch it at your leisure whenever you want, and the quality is usually much better than on streaming websites. Windows users can install eMule, Mac and Linux users can use aMule. Once you've installed one of these programs, you only need to click on an edk:// link (provided in the relevant thread) and the program should start downloading automatically.

In some cases, there is a torrent linked. You will need a bittorrent client for this, like azureus / Vuze. Once installed, you need to download the torrent file and open it with this program, which will then download the file you're looking for.

Disclaimer: These shows are impossible to find in most places outside of China, legally or otherwise, and are only used for their educational value. Watching videos online is completely legal. The website hosting them might get in trouble, you cannot.

Edited February 17, 2010 at 01:19 PM by renzhe