Mandarin learning resources

Hey, so I'm learning Mandarin! This is a collection of resources I'm putting together so I can keep track of them, including links to sites I like and media I want to check out. :)

Non-Human is a donghua I've been really enjoying recently
and it's helping keep me motivated to learn.

Sites

Helpful sites, tools, and resources.

Education & reference

Media

  • Heavenly Path - a blog kind of focusing on cultivation fiction. has a bunch of media recs and links for donghua, dramas, audiobooks, manhua, webnovels, etc. they have graded webnovel recs and a really useful reading guide to grade levels and help you approach learning Mandarin and enjoy reading level-appropriate Mandarin-language fiction
  • Webtoon - Mandarin section of the popular webcomic site
  • Read Douban - literary section of the popular Chinese media review site. may be a bit soon for it to be useful to me, but I could probably find things to read here. I've heard the comments can be kind of toxic, but a lot of the internet is like that and learning how people fight online seems useful too
  • bilibili - the video site. lots and lots of reasons to use it. I've found mandarin-dubbed anime on there and I remember someone talking about looking up courses on various K-12 topics to help themselves learn at that level. just like youtube, there's a lot of brainrot on here too, so watch out/look forward to it

Donghua & dubs

Mostly Chinese animation, donghua goes at the top of the list. I'll also put Mandarin dubs of Japanese anime here if I hear they're good. Some of these are international co-productions or simulcast in Japanese and Mandarin. If it's on this list, I probably haven't seen it yet unless otherwise indicated, and my notes are based on recommendations and brief glimpses of the material. Links go to the listings on MyAnimeList.

  • Dragon Raja - looks really beautiful, was highly recommended
  • The Dining Room of Link Lee - looks cute and heartfelt
  • Fox Spirit Matchmaker
  • Psychic Princess - based off a webtoon, I've heard very conflicting things about it
  • Secrets of the River - looks very 6/10 but I'm compelled nonetheless
  • Celestial Bonds - looks fun :) I've heard good things about it
  • Lord of Mysteries - dramatic! this is one of the top rated and recommended donghua out there
  • All Saints Street - ohhhh it's so cute and cartoony!! I'm really excited for this one, it's short-form comedy. need to be sure I find the Mandarin version since the Japanese dub seems to be more common?
  • Heaven Official's Blessing - another one of the top rated and recommended donghua, this one is supposed to be really good
  • Scissor Seven - cartoony, fun, highly recommended
  • Fairies Album - kind of Mushi-shi in premise but very different tonally, from what I've seen
  • A Will Eternal - very action adventure fantasy
  • World's Best Martial Artist - bright flashy sports drama!!
  • The King's Avatar - fantasy esports drama??
  • God Troubles Me - lighthearted supernatural comedy
  • Non-Human - very cute short-form surrealist comedy!! I've loved what I've seen so far :)
  • The Richest Man in Game - this looks ridiculous and maybe a little like slop (positive)
  • Spiritpact - fantasy boys love comedy yay
  • Take My Brother Away - sibling rivalry, should be available in Mandarin
  • War God System - I'm going to watch this because it looks like a webcomic that's just okay. that means the stakes are low enough, right?
  • Fabulous Beasts - very cute, short-form, and highly stylized. I think I'm going to blow up!
  • Love Magic Grocery - romance, looks reallyyy cute
  • Cupid's Chocolates - it looks like if a harem anime were really dumb and just okay, but in the first episode he gets bullied by the women's soccer team, so who's to say? egg bait maybe
  • Release That Witch - currently ongoing, acclaimed fantasy drama
  • The Daily Life of the Immortal King - supposed to have an urban fantasy dramady slice of lifeiness to it
  • Super Cube - someone on reddit said "it's like solo leveling but chinese"
  • To Be Hero X - I watched a couple minutes from the middle of the first episode, it looks funny and the art style grew on me quick
  • Link Click - very beautiful art, highly acclaimed, and I have 100% for sure seen yaoi of this while scrolling
  • The All-Devouring Whale - highly reviewed beautiful fantasy drama
  • The Legend of Hei and Luoxiaohei series - film is very beautiful with a cartoony style, series is cute and lighthearted
  • Full-Time Magister - not sure about this one... revenge fantasy with magic, but supposedly some whack shit happens later on and I'm curious
  • Frankenstein Family - supernatural slice of life, looks cute :)
  • The Outcasts - idk...... I really don't know... it's been going on a while though and seems confusing. may be interesting though
  • The Master of Diabolism - supposedly some very beautifully animated xianxia. also LGBT?
  • Way of Choices (2026) - another 3d donghua but it caught my eye and I heard it was good
  • Arknights - I don't play gacha games or anything like that and I have no clue what this is about, but it's apparently supposed to have a good Mandarin dub

Manhua

Chinese comics, but other comics in Mandarin can go here too. this is all currently way above my reading level. I think if I study really hard, I can perfect my Mandarin to make myself sound like an airbrushed xianxia boys love web-manhua background character.

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