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Chinese movies to learn Mandarin, from easiest to hardest

Maca Laoshi, Mandarin Chinese teacher
Updated October 20, 2026 · 7 min read

Neon signs on Nanjing Road, Shanghai, at night — Photo: he lihuo / Unsplash

Short answer

No movie is truly beginner level, but some are much more accessible: 后来的我们 (Us and Them), 少年的你 (Better Days) and 我不是药神 (Dying to Survive) are modern, in Mandarin and full of real-life dialogue. Save historical and martial arts movies for later, and always check the language: much of Hong Kong cinema is in Cantonese.

To start: modern and in Mandarin

Movie	Year	What it's about	Why it helps	Where to watch
后来的我们 Us and Them	2018	A couple who meet again years later on a flight.	City life, work and family, with natural dialogue. The most accessible one on the list.	Netflix.
少年的你 Better Days	2019	A student who is bullied before the university entrance exam.	School and adolescence, in Mandarin. It's harsh at times.	Free with ads on Tubi, Pluto TV and Plex, and free with a library card on Kanopy.
我不是药神 Dying to Survive	2018	A salesman who imports cheap medicine for leukemia patients.	A dramatic comedy based on real events, with everyday vocabulary.	Prime Video; free with ads on Tubi and Viki.
你好，李焕英 Hi, Mom	2021	A daughter who travels back in time and meets her mother as a young woman.	A family comedy; almost the whole story takes place in 1981.	Free on YouTube, in full, on its distributor's channel, Tiger Pictures Entertainment, with Chinese and English subtitles (availability varies by country).
送你一朵小红花 A Little Red Flower	2020	Two young people with cancer who meet and fall in love.	Family and couple dialogue, emotional but clear.	Not on any streaming service for now.

Where to watch: JustWatch data for the US, October 2026. Catalogs change by country and over time, and some services offer dubbed versions: always pick the original Mandarin audio.

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For later

Movie	Year	Why it's harder	Where to watch
流浪地球 The Wandering Earth	2019	Science fiction with technical vocabulary.	Not streaming in the US for now.
活着 To Live	1994	It spans several decades of Chinese history, with references to each era.	Not streaming in the US for now.
霸王别姬 Farewell My Concubine	1993	Set in the world of Peking opera, with lots of period vocabulary.	MUBI, Film Movement Plus and Hoopla; free with a library card on Kanopy.
让子弹飞 Let the Bullets Fly	2010	Fast dialogue full of wordplay. It has a Mandarin version and a Sichuanese version.	Prime Video and MUBI; free with ads on Plex.
卧虎藏龙 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon	2000	Martial arts in ancient China; the actors speak with accents that are very different from one another.	Prime Video; free with ads on YouTube.

Watch out for Cantonese

Many famous Hong Kong movies, like 无间道 (Infernal Affairs, 2002), were filmed in Cantonese, which is pronounced very differently from Mandarin. Some have Mandarin dubbing, but it isn't the original audio. Before you hit play, check the language. If you're curious about the difference between writing systems and languages, see traditional vs simplified Chinese.

How to watch a movie to learn

First watch the whole movie with English subtitles, to enjoy it and follow the story.
Pick two or three scenes you like and rewatch them with Chinese subtitles.
Write down whole sentences you can use, not single words.
Repeat the sentences out loud along with the actors.

For learning, TV shows pay off more than movies, because the same words come back over many episodes. See the best dramas for beginners and how to learn Chinese with TV shows.

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Frequently asked questions

Which Chinese movie should I watch to learn Chinese?

To start, a modern movie in Mandarin like 后来的我们 (Us and Them): it's about everyday life, work and family. No movie is truly beginner level, so watch it first with English subtitles.

Are Hong Kong movies in Mandarin?

Many aren't: the original language of much of Hong Kong cinema is Cantonese. If you're learning Mandarin, check the language of the original audio.

Are martial arts movies good for learning Chinese?

For fun, yes; for studying at first, not so much. They're usually set in the past, with period vocabulary, and in some of them the actors speak with very different accents.

Is it better to watch movies or TV shows to learn Chinese?

For learning, TV shows pay off more: the same characters and words come back over many episodes. Movies are ideal for a change of pace and for getting to know the culture.

Where can I watch Chinese movies in Mandarin?

It depends on the country. In the US, 后来的我们 is on Netflix, and several others on this list are on Prime Video, MUBI or free services like Tubi and Kanopy. To see where a movie is streaming in your country, look it up on JustWatch. Always pick the original Mandarin audio and, if you can, Chinese subtitles.

Maca Laoshi, born in Beijing, has taught Mandarin Chinese for more than 22 years and has had over 1,500 students. Together with her son Manu Shi, who has more than 93,000 subscribers on YouTube, she created Macalaoshi, an app that challenges you to push yourself one character at a time. Few Chinese teachers can show both: their own app and a channel like that.

Sources

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