10 Useful Videos from Learn Chinese Now

Key Takeaways

Learn Chinese Now, hosted by British presenter Ben Hedges, has been publishing Mandarin lessons on YouTube for more than a decade.
The ten videos below run from absolute-beginner material — counting to ten — all the way up to a Mandarin-only discussion of kung fu films.
Alongside numbers, grammar and dates, several videos cover cultural know-how: photography customs, tea etiquette, and how to respond to a compliment without sounding boastful.
Short native-speaker videos work best as a supplement to structured study, so they pair well with regular lessons or time spent using the language every day.

Learn Chinese Now has been posting excellent Mandarin language learning videos to YouTube for more than a decade.

We've compiled our 10 favorite videos, spanning from beginner- to expert-level. The channel is hosted by Ben Hedges, whose Mandarin we've admired ever since we sat down for our interview with him.

数

01 Beginner Essentials: Numbers, Grammar and Dates

The first five videos cover the building blocks every beginner needs. Work through them in order and you'll have numbers, basic sentence structure and the calendar under your belt.

#1 How to Count to 10 in Mandarin

The numbers 一 to 十, taken one at a time — the natural first lesson for any complete beginner.

Counting is an essential milestone in learning any language, including Mandarin. This video takes us through the first ten digits. 一二三开始!

#2 How to Count from 11 to 100 in Mandarin

A follow-up lesson showing how Mandarin builds every number from 11 to 100 out of the ten digits you already know.

If you can count to 10 in Mandarin, then you already have all of the basic Chinese vocabulary you need to count to 99.

#3 Basic Mandarin Grammar Guide

The first instalment of the channel's grammar series, covering word order and question forms — the framework that holds your vocabulary together.

Time, subject, verb, object, asking questions and answering them — arranging your vocabulary is critical to speaking coherently.

This video guides you through the basics of Chinese grammar.

#4 Days, Months and Dates in Chinese

How to name the days and months in Chinese and put them in the right order — essential for making plans and reading a calendar.

Could you keep a schedule without days, months, and years? This video teaches us the days of the week, months of the year, and how to grammatically arrange them.

#5 Big Numbers

Hundreds, thousands and beyond, including the ten-thousand unit 万 (wàn) that Chinese counts in rather than grouping digits in threes.

1,000... 10,000... 100,000... In this video we learn how to say numbers all the way to a billion in Mandarin.

俗

02 Everyday Vocabulary and Cultural Know-How

The next two videos pair practical vocabulary with the customs that surround it. Both are the kind of thing textbooks tend to skip.

#6 Photography in Chinese

Camera and photo vocabulary in Mandarin, plus a look at the etiquette of taking pictures in China — useful for anyone travelling with a camera.

This video shoots through the practical vocabulary related to taking photos and sheds light on some of the cultural aspects of taking photos in China.

#7 Chinese Tea Etiquette

How to thank someone for pouring your tea without saying a word — a small courtesy that marks you out as a visitor who knows the customs.

How do you say "thank you" in Chinese without saying anything at all? Watch this video and learn one of the quiet courtesies of Chinese tea culture.

说

These two videos deal with moments where a literal translation will let you down. Both teach set responses that native speakers reach for automatically.

#8 "Speak of the Devil" in Chinese

The Mandarin equivalent of "speak of the devil" — 说曹操，曹操就到 — a saying that invokes Cao Cao, the warlord of Three Kingdoms fame.

It happens all of the time: you mention someone's name and they appear.

So how does the Mandarin language address this social phenomenon? With one of the many Chinese idioms that pack a whole story into a handful of characters.

#9 Responding to Compliments in Chinese

Why 哪里哪里 beats a simple "thank you" — a short lesson in the modesty that shapes so many everyday Chinese exchanges.

Responding to a compliment in Mandarin is not as simple as just saying "thanks". In this video we learn both what to say and what not to say.

武

04 Advanced Listening: Mandarin Only

The last pick is the toughest listen on this list. There's no English scaffolding, so treat it as a benchmark rather than a lesson.

#10 Clichés within Kung Fu Movies

Ben Hedges talks kung fu cinema in Mandarin with no English support — a good self-test for intermediate and advanced listeners.

In this Mandarin-only video Ben Hedges explains several clichés he's seen repeatedly in Kung Fu classics.

It's also a reminder of how much the genre has shaped the way the rest of the world pictures Chinese martial arts.

Videos like this are the best free listening practice going, but they work fastest alongside real conversation. Nothing accelerates progress quite like the chance to Learn Chinese in China, where ordering lunch and asking for directions become daily practice.

CLI teacher and student in a one-on-one Chinese lesson in Guilin

Study Chinese in Guilin or Start Online

CLI offers personalized Chinese instruction built around your goals. Join our Immersion Program in Guilin or begin from anywhere with a free Chinese lesson .

Explore the Immersion Program Learn Chinese Online

看

05 Keep Watching

Be sure to subscribe to Learn Chinese Now on YouTube. You can also like them on Facebook and follow them on X.

It's one of several channels we recommend in our roundup of the best YouTube channels for studying Mandarin, so it's worth exploring the others once you've worked through this list.

We hope to study Mandarin in China together some day soon. Don't forget to follow CLI on X, Instagram, and Facebook. 下次见！