“A Date with Lu Yu” is widely considered the Chinese “Oprah Winfrey Show” and follows its inspiration’s style and format. With an estimated 140 million viewers per episode, it’s one of the most beloved talk shows in mainland China.<\/p>\n Conversational Mandarin in a somewhat formal tone<\/strong> is used throughout the show, often with several people speaking at once. Celebrity guests from all over China, Taiwan and Hong Kong are often on the show, so you can hear their unique dialects, slang and accents.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you’re a beginner learner, this one may be a bit too difficult to follow even with English subtitles. However, intermediate and advanced learners<\/strong> can definitely benefit from watching this talk show for its diversity and conversational speed.<\/p>\n The Hong Kong-based TV network Phoenix TV hosts “A Date with Lu Yu,” and unfortunately it’s very difficult to get in the U.S. However, there are YouTube playlists<\/a> with English subtitles of the show available for viewing.<\/p>\n If you’re an advanced learner who really wants to get a grasp on modern Chinese culture, then “Day Day Up” is definitely for you.<\/p>\n “Day Day Up” is a very<\/strong> popular youth talk show<\/strong> that has an eclectic mix of content. Totally hilarious games between the hosts and guests, song and dance competitions and performances, interviews with celebrities, you name it. Each episode has its own “theme” as well.<\/p>\n This show may be hard to follow for beginners because it’s so informal. There are often several people speaking at once and the speech is usually fast. If you’re an advanced learner and want to improve your conversational speed<\/strong>, this show would be ideal for you.<\/p>\n “Day Day Up” is hosted on Hunan Television, which you can stream from Sling TV<\/a>. This paid channel also features English subtitles, so beginners and intermediate learners can also benefit from purchasing it. Sling TV also offers a free trial if you want to try it before you buy.<\/p>\n Outside of paying for it, it’s somewhat difficult to find English-subbed episodes of this show, though a few are on YouTube. This YouTube playlist<\/a> has tons of episodes with subtitles in \u6c49\u5b57\u00a0(h\u00e0n z\u00ec)<\/em>\u00a0\u2014\u00a0Chinese characters.<\/p>\n This is another beloved talk show in China with an audience of 150 million viewers<\/a>. It’s the perfect talk show for beginners.<\/p>\n This variety\/chat show has a ton of great content. Outside of occasional performances, the format of the show typically involves the host sitting down with one celebrity and interviewing them.<\/strong>\u00a0The pace of speech is a bit slower than other talk shows, easy to follow and semi-formal.<\/p>\n The host,\u00a0\u91d1\u661f (J\u012bn X\u012bng<\/em>)\u00a0\u2014 Jin Xing is also an influential figure. She’s a famed dancer, choreographer, actress and one of the few transgender TV hosts not just in China, but also in the world.<\/p>\n “A Bright World” is set up almost like a grand meeting of international leaders, except it’s in a talk show setting and way funnier<\/strong> than anything you’d hear at the U.N.<\/p>\n Are you seeing a pattern here? Chinese talk shows rarely involve just talking about things or interviewing people. “A Bright World” boasts sketch comedy, interviews, song and dance numbers and “Saturday Night Live”-style improv.<\/p>\n Tons of people are on camera at any given time, so it may be hard for beginners to keep track of the conversations. However, it’s a good show to watch\u00a0to see how casual conversations take place<\/strong> in Mandarin.<\/strong><\/p>\n English-subbed episodes<\/a> can be found on YouTube.<\/p>\n Another similar show like “A Bright World” is \u975e\u6b63\u5f0f\u4f1a\u8c08 (f\u0113i zh\u00e8ng sh\u00ec hu\u00ec t\u00e1n)<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 “Informal Talks” which is also on YouTube<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you love improv, you’ll love “Mr. Zhou Live Show.”<\/p>\n This talk show is hosted by the famous stand-up\u00a0comedian \u5468\u7acb\u6ce2 (zh\u014du l\u00ec b\u014d)<\/em> \u2014 Zhou Libo and the show is almost 100 percent unscripted<\/strong>. Most of the show just focuses on Zhou talking to the audience alone, so it’s easy to follow what he’s saying\u2014although he can speak pretty fast at times. Regardless, this show is ideal for beginner Mandarin learners.<\/strong><\/p>\n FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n2. \u5929\u5929\u5411\u4e0a (ti\u0101n ti\u0101n xi\u00e0ng sh\u00e0ng<\/em>)\u00a0\u2014 “Day Day Up”<\/h2>\n
3. \u91d1\u661f\u79c0 (j\u012bn x\u012bng xi\u00f9<\/em>)\u00a0\u2014 “The Jin Xing Show”<\/h2>\n
4. \u4e16\u754c\u9752\u5e74\u8bf4 (sh\u00ec ji\u00e8 q\u012bng ni\u00e1n shu\u014d<\/em>)\u00a0\u2014 “A\u00a0Bright World”<\/h2>\n
5. \u58f9\u5468\u7acb\u6ce2\u79c0 (y\u012b zh\u014du l\u00ec b\u014d xi\u00f9<\/em>)\u00a0\u2014 “Mr. Zhou Live Show”<\/h2>\n
How Can Talk Shows Help You Learn Mandarin?<\/h2>\n
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