Online shows with Chinese text-based subtitles

[mlescano]

There are a few shows online with good quality text-based subtitles, a.k.a. closed captions. You can download both video and SRT subtitles from YouTube for listening/transcribing practice with LAMP player, VLC or even straight on YouTube. Shows with well-synced SRT subtitles allow you to do all sorts of tricks: Toggle subtitles on/off, automatic pause/replay, popup translation, etc. Here's what I've found so far. Please share more!

 

On YouTube:

 

Dramas: (ordered by views of first episode)

新兵日記 (Rookies' Diary): Military drama. Traditional hard and soft subs:  4M views: https://youtu.be/RyX0ZfPiMss

我的老師叫小賀 (My teacher is called Xiaohe): A high school drama with a pretty teacher. Traditional hard and soft subs. 2.3M views: https://youtu.be/d2m7StPgmeU

冰与火的青春 (Ice and Fire of Youth): Soft simplified + English subtitles. 138K views: https://youtu.be/LSl4hPhGH3c

警界線 (The Borderline): Only soft traditional subtitles. 49K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81LW_qvaViE

美好年代 (A Good Day): Hardcoded traditional subs and soft traditional subs.  43K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JVJAbYXCRk&index=38&list=PLeuPaltH7SfES1rS8gpRYg4961NP94sC-

讓愛飛揚: (Let It Fly): Also hard traditional and soft traditional subs. 40K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSVIDLPDc2w&index=40&list=PLeuPaltH7SfFcH2521UHvZezz9ezUFis5

開腦儆探 (Second Life): Only soft traditional subtitles. 27K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qssbp6Yx0SA

大嫁風尚 (Great Marriage): Only soft simplified subtitles 17K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWDMjhNysno

解密 (Decoded): Both simplified Chinese and English subtitles available 12K views: https://youtu.be/Oqt_J1yUnQU?list=PL-qn-eiR753coJhhOZRU8n3dMfZvddIuX

三面形醫 (Hidden faces): Only soft traditional subtitles 12K views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntoMnLZyFHA

 

Talk Shows:

麻辣天后傳, The Queen's Legendary Show: (thanks to Bad Cao Cao) https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-z9BI8hMHNPrvnccyWgjyg

If You Are The One (thanks to Bad Cao Cao) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=江苏卫视官方频道&lclk=cc&filters=cc

 

Language Learning:

快乐汉语 (Happy Chinese with Susan, hybrid drama/language learning, work in progress): Simplified soft subtitles

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUopoMgYFRYnhkzcTxA7_wHqYb55BVRI4

Or here for the full series (with less than perfect synchonization): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiNe_bumx_AX4RA-Wa-rRZo082f4mdzu6

 

Channels

FTV Drama, a treasure trove of Taiwanese dramas: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiMiEL1XRXANaypB2wEdr5w

HKTV Network: https://www.youtube.com/user/HKTVNetwork/playlists?shelf_id=0&view=1&sort=dd

Huace Global Fun channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9M9sV3sGmutY26H4LNBTww/playlists

DaAiDrama (this one has some stuff in Mandarin and other in a language I don't recognize): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWiS6QxFGFK-LKwwHzSsmHQ/playlists

 

Please comment if you find any of the shows actually interesting, or if you know of another show on YouTube with soft subtitles.

 

How to find content

Search YouTube for: 第一集. In filters, choose "CC" and >20 min. Try different "sort by" methods. Most results will be for shows with soft English subtitles. Some might even be Korean dramas with Chinese subtitles. Keep exploring the results and you might find something actually in Chinese and soft-subtitled in Chinese. If you find a show, check the channel, too. It might have more. Follow related videos down the rabbit hole. Another possible search is: 完整版 (full version), using the same filters mentioned above.

 

Watching directly on YouTube

If YouTube subs are traditional and you prefer Simplified Chinese:

You can watch it right in YouTube with Simplified Chinese subtitles. Go to subtitle selection > Auto translate > Simplified Chinese.

Adjusting soft subtitles to cover the hardcoded ones:

Useful if you want to watch a Taiwanese show with Simplified Chinese subtitles. Click on the gear icon in YouTube > Subtitles > Options.

Font size 300%, background color black at 100% opacity and same settings for window color and opacity should do the trick.

If you feel like it, you can watch with Kaiti-style subtitles by selecting "cursive" from the font family.

Use YouTube's keyboard shortcuts for easy playback control:

https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/going-google/accessibility/google-keyboard-shortcuts---youtube

 

Watching offline

How to download the videos:

If you use Chrome or Firefox, go to the Chrome extension store or Firefox add-ons store, and search for a Youtube downloader. This should add a download button below the video. Or use this: http://www.clipconverter.cc/. The're also another Chrome extension to download the subtitles as .srt.

How to play with VLC

If VLC is only displaying squares, go to Tools > Preferences > subtitles and select Microsoft YaHei as the font.

If your SRT file is in traditional and you prefer simplified

Right click > Open with Notepad. Ctrl+A to select all, Ctrl+C to copy, paste the text here:

http://www.khngai.com/chinese/tools/convert.php

Copy the result into a new Notepad file and save with UTF-8 encoding. Change the filename to be the same as the video, with "SCH" or something added at the end so you won't confuse it with the original SRT. Change the extension to SRT. I would not try this from Simplified to Traditional because it's more error-prone. If Notepad opens messy subtitles, it's better to open with Notepad++.

How to get rid of the hard coded subtitles with Handbrake

This is necessary if you're going to be doing some ear training. In Handbrake, the first open tab is "picture". Here, in "Cropping", select "custom" and input the value you found with VLC. Name the destination file and hit Start.

 

On other sites:

Netflix:

So far the only Netflix show I've found with Chinese audio and almost 100% matching Chinese subtitles is Fuller House. To acces this, go to your Netflix account settings and change the language to 中文 to be able to access both Chinese audio and subtitles. There are other shows, but the Chinese subtitles and audio don't match. There are Chrome extensions that allow you to pause and do pop-up translation for English with Netflix, but none for Chinese so far. Developers, please help! There are also Chrome extensions that allow you to load your own subtitles while watching Netflix. This might be useful for watching Chinese movies and dramas, but I find it to be too much work.

 

Viki:

Viki has many Chinese and Taiwanese shows (thanks BadCaoCao), but very few of these have complete Chinese subs for all episodes. On the plus side, Viki is implementing a "learning mode" with pop-up translations for language learners, but it still lacks functionality, like a shortcut to toggle subtitles on/off. The only Viki shows I've found with 99-100% complete Chinese subs for all episodes are:

最佳前男友 (My best ex boyfriend): https://www.viki.com/tv/28818c-my-best-ex-boyfriend#modal-episode

何以笙箫默 (My sunshine): https://www.viki.com/tv/29015c-my-sunshine-directors-cut

Yup. That's it. Only two. And the second one is only 4 episodes long. Ironic, I know, but remember that Viki is fan-subbed, and fans are more concerned about making shows available to the greater public with English subs, than about helping language learners with Chinese subs.

You can download both video and subs from Viki if you find the right sites.

 

Please share any other shows with soft subtitles or tips you might find, or at least try watching the above-mentioned shows. Thanks!

 

[Bad Cao Cao]

Nice post op.

 

Also try Kangxi, and, queen's legendary show (and anything with CC on the link etc).

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-z9BI8hMHNPrvnccyWgjyg

 

Also, If you are the one.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=江苏卫视官方频道&lclk=cc&filters=cc

 

Good comment on the filters - note also the channel search on the one above.

 

Also viki is an underrated tool, with already inbuilt functionality similar to what you are trying to do.

 

https://support.viki.com/hc/en-us/articles/231829048-How-to-use-Learn-Mode-

[mlescano]

Thanks! 

 

I did try Viki, but also found it hard to find shows in Chinese subtitled in Chinese, as the focus is on English subs. Do you have links to shows 100% subtitled in Chinese?

[Guest realmayo]

A great post, I hadn't realised there were so many youtube videos with soft subs. I was also very excited to see from your link there's a TV version of the book 解密, however I watched the first episode and it looks like they've dumbed down the book, turned the TV series into just another spy/action show

[Bad Cao Cao]

"Do you have links to shows 100% subtitled in Chinese?"

 

Click on the link and go to the shows listed at the bottom. Also, can sign up for translating projects and join a group to get the original subs, for most other Chinese shows.

[rainyu]

I recommend Three Kingdoms

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNHnX4xsplo&list=PL33A390995E9A7F00

 

based on the best Chinese classic novel in my opinion, and according to the English comments below, the quality of the translation or subtitle is quite good.

[mlescano]

I've added a bit more info since the original post: Added a few dramas, ordered them by # of first episode views, etc.

 

Please share any other dramas you might find that have soft Chinese subtitles. Thanks!

[wibr]

Very nice list, thanks! For downloading I recommend youtube-dl (with the --all-subs option).

[mlescano]

Updated list with three shows found on Netflix and Viki.

 

After spending an inordinate amount of time searching for shows, I've now settled with "Great Marriage" for intensive listening practice. It does not seem overly cheesy. And after spending an equally stupid amount of time searching for software, I've settled with LaMP player to play the video.

[Yadang]

On 3/22/2017 at 7:16 PM, mlescano said:

You can download both video and subs from Viki if you find the right sites.

 

For subtitles on Viki, downsub.com works well - lets you pick which language to download.