Top 10 Chinese Animation Series for Children Learning Mandarin

Watching regular TV shows in Mandarin Chinese is beneficial for children who are learning the language as a second language, especially if they are learning the target language in a non-Chinese environment. Below we compile some long-running and popular Chinese animation series popular with school children who speak Chinese as a first language. Although the Chinese language level is more advanced for English-speaking school children learning Chinese as a second language, watching these shows is a good routine to learn mandarin for kids as it provides young learners with native language inputs that serve as a good foundation in developing their Chinese language skills. These shows are also an excellent tool for introducing children to the Chinese culture and history.

Click on the image to view the trailer

喜羊羊与灰太狼

This hugely popular Chinese animation series have been running for twelve years!! The story is about a group of innocent goats living in the land of Qing Qing Plains and a big bad wolf who tries to eat them. The featured song of the series is quite catchy and makes viewers want to sing along. Each character in the lyrics pops up in different colours, while some characters shake and move, making the lyrics visually appealing. The success of the series has led to the production of several 喜羊羊与灰太狼 films.

西游记

The cartoon is based on one of China’s great literature ‘Journey To The West’. It tells the story of a monkey king who due to his many serious mischiefs, is punished by the goddess. In order to set himself free, he has to guard the great monk to fetch precious Buddhist scripts from India. They are joined by three other pilgrims: the Pig, the Friar, and the Horse. Throughout the journey, they meet various monsters who try to harm the great monk and the disciples dutifully protect their master and accomplish their mission. There is also a classical movie of The Monkey King and the newer version, Monkey King: Hero Is Back, voiced by Jackie Chan. Click here to watch the trailer. By watching this series, not only will children get to learn mandarin through edutainment, but they will also learn about important Chinese classical literature.

福娃奥运漫游记

This 100-episode series features the five Beijing Olympics mascots, Fuwa (or good luck dolls). The five mascots are named after the slogan北京欢迎你: Bei Bei, Jing Jing, Huan Huan, Ying Ying, and Ni Ni. The dolls were brought home by a boy named Dayou who lives in Beijing with his parents. The dolls come alive at night when Dayou is asleep. The stories are mainly about sports and Olympics and include many informative narratives about legends related to sports. Different kinds of sports are featured in the episodes.

小鲤鱼历险记

The cartoon is about the misadventures of a small carp fish. It may remind you of Finding Nemo – even the fish (although different kind of fish) is rather similar in colour. But actually the story is based on a Chinese folktale. The story revolves around Pao Pao the carp and his friends (a seahorse, a jellyfish, and a turtle). The cartoon also depicts many other ocean dwellers (sea snake, octopus, lobster, sting ray) in colourful, lively episodes.

猪猪侠

The series is about an intelligent pig named GG Bond. Different seasons of the series tell different missions that GG Bond must accomplish. The stories incorporates knowledge of science, time-travel, and environmental issues. Following the popularity of the series, several films of GG Bond have been produced.

山猫和吉咪

The series are about two best friends Shanmao the cat and Jimi the rabbit who have to outwit Xinke the wolf and Guli the bear who always create troubles for the duo.

新葫芦兄弟

This is a remake of the classic 1980s series Huluwa. The new 260-episode series is about seven super brothers who come from a magical calabash tree. Each brother is of a different colour and has a unique ability. Their mission is to fight the scorpion and snake demons who wreak havoc on earth.

少年师爷

This 520-episode cartoon depicts the story of a young master Shao Xing fighting injustice set during the Ming and Qing eras. The animation is rich with historical nuances, such as queue hairstyle worn by men in that period, traditional costumes, and soundtrack playing traditional musical instruments. The story modernises the young master by pairing him with a skateboard that he rides to travel along the city streets.

水浒·英雄列传

The cartoon is based on the great Chinese classical novel 水浒传. Set during the Song dynasty, the novel tells the story of a group of outlaws who rebel against the government. Eventually, the rebels make peace with the government and are recruited to help defend against enemy forces. The animation series tries to make the story more appealing to young viewers by presenting the story in a light, refreshing take, such as by making use of internet language, including rap portion in the soundtrack, and throwing in modern elements throughout the series.

麻辣父子

The story is about Dou Dou, a 6-year old boy who lives with his mom and dad in modern China. Although the title is about father and son, the episodes actually always include the mother. The 5-minute episode series depict everyday things that can happen to a boy, from losing his baby teeth, falling ill, and visiting grandma.