chinese series that are safe to watch for adults

[songlei]

i have long been in denial, but yesterday, for the 100th time a chinese friend told me that i sound like a newsreader when i speak chinese. i have to start brushing up my colloquial chinese, and the only viable method i can think of for doing this is watching tv shows. however, the last time i had an episode like this, i gave it a shot with a couple of shows that had me vomiting like a rabid dog within seconds. i do not claim to be a man of great taste, and i am capable of enjoying brainless entertainment at times (i actually liked 2012). the most successful viewing experience i've had so far with chinese shows is 新结婚时代, believe it or not, which is about as cliche as they come. so i was wondering, is there anything around that doesn't involve qing dynasty constumes, red army patriotism, and stuff about nongcun meets the city or buying houses? is there anything i can watch that doesn't fall back into cliches about 八零后 vs 九零后 and growing up in a capitalist society with feudal family values, and focuses on telling an actual story with decent acting? is there anything you've actually enjoyed watching for the sake of watching instead of learning chinese? i know there's a first episode guide with lots of recommendations, but it looks outdated and is sort of focused on educational value. i'd love to hear what you all think.

[yonglin]

I just finished watching 一个女人的史诗, which I really liked.

It definitely tells a story, although I guess it might be a little bit too much red army for you, since it's set between 1947 and the mid-70s, capturing the main historical events (founding of the republic, land reform, hundred flowers, great leap, cultural revolution). I wouldn't say it's a drama endorsing the CCP as such (it seems very okay to criticize most things pre-1978 in the Mainland these days). There is a bit of party-speak, but I'd say that this aspect is peripheral to the main plot. The acting is phenomenal. Oh, and it's basically a relationship/love sort of story, so it depends on whether you can tolerate that!!

[Gleaves]

From what I've watched, I think the recommendations are pretty spot on. I enjoyed 痞子英雄 (Black & White) very much. It's not exactly HBO, but it was a fun.

[renzhe]

I'd still recommend the ones in the index thread.

There are many sub-par shows out there, absolutely. There are certain cliches in Chinese TV. You have the Taiwanese "The New Adventures of the Backstreet Boys" and "Silly Girl Falls in Love with the Backstreet Boy" teenage stuff. You have the "Let's kick some Japanese ass, comrades!" war show and the "Let's kick some nationalist ass, comrades!" spy show. Then there is the "Life of the Emperor so-and-so" heavy costume drama and "Life of somebody other than the Emperor so-and-so" lighthearted costume comedy. Then there is the wuxia genre (which you either love or hate) and the modern somber "Walls are closing in on me and I need love. And cash" urban drama. But there are some really good ones to be found, even with some of the cliche elements.

What sort of genre are you looking for? For drama, try 空镜子. I've never met a person who was disappointed with that one.

There are definitely shows which I've enjoyed watching for fun alone, and not because of learning Chinese. Like 空镜子, 魔幻手机, 潜伏, 射雕英雄传, 天龙八部 (and some other wuxia shows), 武林外传, 狼毒花, 秘密图纸, 愛情公寓. Some of these might be silly in parts, but they sure are entertaining.

If you don't like any of those, I'll buy you a beer.

[rezaf]

It's rare that I finish a Chinese TV series (or an Asian one in general) when I can watch all kinds of American TV series for free online but I remember I kind of liked “给我一支烟”. It's about a man who falls in love with a prostitute and the story is kind of more creative than other TV series out there.

Also some episodes of “媳妇的美好时代” are bearable.

[doraemon]

Also some episodes of “媳妇的美好时代” are bearable.

Yes, I recommend this one as well. It's actually quite funny.

I think 杜拉拉升职记 is pretty good as well, but it does get a bit formal at times.

[roddy]

I'd say 空镜子 - one of the rare shows which is both decent and just about a story, rather than a story against a background of rural poverty / urban business / cultural revolution, and it's all family / lovers / friends talking to each other.

But basically I can't see any reason you can't pick a few likely candidates out of the First Episodes and watch them - 40 minute won't kill you, even if you hate it. The TV shows I would probably put up there as best - 潜伏，走向共和,武林外传 aren't really the language you're looking for (although if you enjoy them you might get more language out of them than something you have to force yourself to watch).

Had to resist recommending 爱情公寓. Actually I might just re-watch that myself.

[aristotle1990]

Want 口语? Want something cool? Want something young Chinese people actually watch? Try 天天向上 and 快乐大本营.

In the first three minutes of this episode alone, for example, we get a hilariously over-the-top sexy motorcycle dance, learn how to say Harvey (the motorcycle brand) and MILF, are introduced to a well-known Taiwanese celebrity with two names, and learn such words as 当红 and 风韵. Talk about content-rich...

[Mandyding]

try to check TV programs on 凤凰卫视

[eatfastnoodle]

I hate to say this to you but if your purpose of watching these shows were to learn Chinese and if you were not too old, you better put up with these shows cuz as much you might hate it for whatever reason, cuz they're what people in China watch, along with shows from hong kong, taiwan, japan, korea and the US. If you don't know it, you miss a great deal about a very important part of the pop culture and potentially a huge part of the pop culture lexicon, I'm sure you know language is not just about words and grammar, it's also about culture, and not just culture you like. History is important even if the description of history in these shows were shallow and inaccurate; politics is important, even if you don't like the ideology behind it and how it is presented; divide between urban and rural areas is one defining feature of Chinese society for many decades; economic reality such as the need to buy a house or crawl up career ladder is important, well, you should know why; and escapist cheesy romantic flicks are also important because they allow people to temporarily get away from all the imperfections of life. If you ask me, I think you should put up with it, at least for a while, until you get some idea about the four above mentioned areas and how they're presented and understood by the general public, and more importantly, the demographic you're most likely to be involved with. As for quality shows, well, watch enough, you'll learn to tell and in any case, only you know what you like.

[rezaf]

you better put up with these shows cuz as much you might hate it for whatever reason

大哥beleive me I have tried, it's not possible :unsure:

[gato]

You can always read Wang Shuo (王朔) novels and talk like a 北京痞子.

[eatfastnoodle]

well, then that's something you have to compensate with other things, like more interaction with the local population, though I highly doubt that alone would be enough. Or you will have to accept at least in short term your Chinese will not be up to the level you'd like it to be. Quality show is always hard to come by. (this comes from a guy who has exhausted his interest in shows from China, from Japan, and fromt he US.) If you wanna go down the "watch shows to improve your fluency", you'd have to force yourself to do something you don't naturally want to do, one way or another.

That's about 15 years late. 王朔 is old news. Beijing is not his beijing any more. 北京痞子 is not a popular cultural phenomenon any more.

[skylee]

武林外傳.

[renzhe]

eatfastnoodle is right in principle, but there are always better and worse shows.

If you want a good spy show, try 潜伏 or 暗算, in terms of good historical dramas, there are 走向共和, 雍正王朝 or 大明王朝 1566, for drama 空镜子, for the stress of modern urban pressures, there is 蜗居. And if you want an entertaining, over-the-top, wild west interpretation of the war against Japan, there's always 狼毒花 which, while not completely historically accurate, will give you an idea of what it was all about.

In my experience, watching a TV show is a longer commitment. You can usually tell after 20 minutes whether it's worth to give a series a longer look or not. And you can get the needed historical and cultural background from good series too.

Personally, what I like about watching foreign shows (this includes Chinese for me) is that it gives me something new, fresh, different from what I am used to. This is the stuff that made me want to learn the language in the first place. Watching Sopranos dubbed into Chinese is not that interesting to me. What is interesting is when I get to experience stuff that is impossible unless you learn the language and understand a culture a bit better.

There are basically three types of shows you can find. The first one is the ripoff of a western concept, done in a Chinese setting. Something like 家有儿女, 好想好想谈恋爱 or 痞子英雄. The latter is very entertaining, but it's a cross between C.S.I. and Miami Vice, only it is set in Kaohsiung. Other than the actors, nothing in there is Chinese. It makes for good language practice and entertainment, not more. You could add subtitles to this and show it in any western country, and people would understand it just fine.

The second type is also a ripoff. Like 愛情公寓. Friends in Shanghai. Yawn. Until you listen to it and find out that all the references, all the jokes, all the language, everything is China-specific. The jokes are language puns, the references are to Korean, Japanese and Chinese pop-stars, the incidental characters are culturally grounded, like the Judo instructor who talks like an Wuxia character, or the Beijing Opera rendition of the "Transformers". You need to have the cultural background to understand it, but at the same time, it's a great way to learn the cultural background.

The third type is completely Chinese. Something like 武林外传. A bunch of Jianghu characters running an inn during the Ming dynasty, but it's a sitcom. Only they talk in archaic phrases and block each other's vital points. You couldn't air this outside of the Chinese cultural environment. Nobody would understand anything. Hell, they even had trouble airing it in Taiwan! But it's absolutely hilarious and LOL funny if you actually do understand it. Another example is 魔幻手机 . A mobile phone from the future. Which turns into a girl. And kicks ass with kung fu. And accidentally brings back the characters from "Journey to the West" to the present -- and that's just the first episode. This sort of stuff is so different from the things I'm used to watching, and that makes it interesting.

Personally, I like the third type the most. That's the cool thing about learning a language. There are completely new things to enjoy!

[rezaf]

So if there is only one choice what would you suggest that has a smart and creative story?

[renzhe]

Depends on what you like watching.

Drama: 空镜子

Entertainment: 魔幻手机

Spy: 潜伏

Comedy: 武林外传

The first two are easy in terms of language, the other two are quite challenging, especially 武林外传.

If you only want one recommendation, watch 空镜子.

[roddy]

So if there is only one choice what would you suggest that has a smart and creative story?

If you want smart, maybe 潜伏 for the intricacy of the plotting - it's a spy drama, so you need to keep paying attention to who knows what, etc.

But seriously, why not flick through the first episode posts and pick something. There's loads to choose from, and they're all discussed from the point of view of the non-native viewer.

[songlei]

thanks for the useful replies everyone, i'm going to give it another shot! a chinese girl just recommended 武林外传 to me. she said that despite the constumes, the language is actually a good reflection of present day colloquial chinese and that it's one of the most popular shows around among chinese as well. perhaps it's a good one for getting some more insight in chinese-style humor as well. i'm surprised nobody has mentioned 新结婚时代 here, which i found to be quite decent compared to most shows i've seen. it's worth watching for the liu kairui character alone. of course you'd still be better off watching lost or 24, but hey, it's all part of a bigger plan.

[roddy]

Good stuff. If you check out the First Episode Topic for 武林外传 - ah, here's a free link - you'll find a transcript and viewing notes to get you started. If you continue, there's a complete transcript (which is fantastic as they're not easy to find for any series, and this is one where you might really want it) on page two of the other topic.

Do post and let us know how you get on whatever you watch - there's a lot of work gone into the First Episodes (mostly Renzhe's, but I have made some small contributions myself) and it's great to see them getting used.