Is there Netflix-like service in China that lets you see Chinese dramas with subtitles for the learning purpose? [closed]

Question

I wish this question were not classified as off-topic...

I'm looking for Chinese serial dramas or movies to improve my hearing skills in Mandarin. Such dramas may be available on YouTube as well as any illegal curation of streaming dramas. However, I don't like the illigal provider nor these contents are terrible in the quality, so I'm looking for Netflix-like streaming service in China where you can watch those movies.

My requirement is the service that shows dramas (in Mandarin) with subtitles in Mandarin as well. Usually locals may not need the Mandarin subtitle so I'm not sure if there exists such service, but is there anything or any alternative service for those learning Mandarin?

Answer 1

youku.com, tudou.com, iqiyi.com, letv.com

-- 2017 Jun 28 Edit --

Ok let me explain more to Chinese learners why these websites are probably more useful for studying Chinese (of course, in my opinion). Plus, the question specifically asked for sites for Dramas, which I think is a really good source for practicing listening and speaking.

1. These sites are where native Chinese people go for watching episodes. They have most up to date content and a wide range of category for you to choose.

2. Serials on these sites, unlike other illegal sources, are of high quality. A lot of serial dramas companies signed contracts with these sites so videos on these websites are genuine, provide 1080P streaming, some even provide Dolby audio effect.

3. Subtitles. According to 《无障碍环境建设条例》(http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2012-07/10/content_2179864.htm), no. 21 stated that any published film and television programs are required to have subtitles. Since the videos on these websites are genuine, there will always be subtitles on it. This is because not everyone in China speaks Mandarin, and some people can't hear. This is very helpful if you are studying Chinese.

Notes: Probably the most important thing, if you are streaming from places other than Mainland China, is that due to copyright restriction, you may not be able to play some of the shows directly. Just install the plugin called "Unblock Youku" on your Chrome browser, then you can enjoy endless shows.

A non-related note: Some people prefer watching News and some people prefer watching shows. That's alright. As a native Mandarin speaker and English learner, I think, for me, watching Two Broke Girls and The Late Late Show is more effective than watching BBC news. The point is you should find what you like the most, and identify whether your goal is to gain communication skills or to acquire more academic language skill, then pick the best material and the learning will be a fun experience other than a dreary task.

Answer 2

You can stream CCTV: http://tv.cctv.com/live/ . Usually at least 1 channel will have dramas on. Note that this might not be accessible from all countries.

Answer 3

yea, there are few but the most populor on compariable to netflix is www.iqiyi.com

Answer 4

I'm not sure which country you are in right now.

But I can still suggest you some websites again, if the webpage show you something like "You're not in this country territory", please kindly let me know.

1. Viu.com

Viu.com is currently available in Asia area (Hong Kong, Malaysia, India, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia)

2. iFlix.com

iflix.com is served in (Malaysia,Philippines,Thailand,Indonesia,Sri,Lanka,Brunei,Maldives,Pakistan,Vietnam,Myanmar,Saudi,Arabia,Jordan,Iraq,Kuwait,Bahrain,Lebanon,Egypt,Sudan)

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I have a lot of websites, some sort like -- illegal, but depends on the video uploader, some video is FULL HD, some is just only 240p. :| Comment below & I will follow up. :)

And I pretty sure you are mad at this. "本劇只限於在大陸地區播放" (This drama is only allowed in the China Mainland.)

Answer 5

I bet those movie/show will confuse you. Because those movie/film scripts are quite dramatic.

Your best bet is online programs produce by youku.com, tudou.com, which currently play some of their programs on youtube.

Documentary programs are highly recommended: you can guess some word from the narration. E.g. Intro of Taiwan Mandarin songs history(post 70's)

Food program such as 食尖上的中国 (Similar to Anthony Bourdain food programs)

Answer 6

I recently started using KylinTV for very similar reasons to what you're describing. It offers both livestreaming of Chinese TV channels as well as a video-on-demand library with quite a number of Mandarin movies and TV dramas. All of the ones I've seen so far have Simplified Chinese subtitles.

The sound quality can be a little variable and the player's a little lacking in terms of functionality (it's a little fiddly to pause and go back a few seconds to hear a line again), but otherwise, it's pretty much exactly what I want.

The first episode of a lot of the drama series seems to be entirely free so you can try it out, but otherwise you pay a monthly subscription for access to the live channels (this is a prerequisite to accessing the full VOD library, as far as I can tell) and then you can either pay an additional subscription for unlimited VOD access or can buy them by the episode.

I believe it's available in a lot of different regions.

Answer 7

Learn Chinese with ChineseClass101.com, please refer this Youtube channel, you will be learning Chinese from Beginner level to Advanced Level.

Personally, I would not suggest people to watch drama for learning purpose, because for me nowadays the Chinese Language they used in drama is not standard and full of slang. If you are a beginner, I prefer learn the most basic and standard Chinese, until you are in Advance Level, you could differentiate which term, word or sentence is more proper.

Answer 8

If in Indonesia there are so many choices to be able to watch various kinds of film genres such as romance dramas and others. Like Genflix, which provides many choices of film genres that you can make your mainstay in your spare time