Best Youtube Channels For Chinese Learners: Taiwan Edition
If you have ever seen Chinese language videos on Youtube or elsewhere, chances are the video was subtitled in Chinese. Most Taiwanese Youtube channels only have traditional Chinese subtitles hard-coded onto the video without the option of turning it off. In fact, native Taiwanese are used to Chinese subtitles not only on Youtube videos, but also on their news, TV shows, documentaries etc.
Depending on your level, it might be too challenging to watch native Taiwanese videos with no English subtitles at the moment. Here are some Youtube channels I found with videos about Taiwanese culture alongside English and traditional Chinese subtitles for reference.
Looking for simplified Chinese channels? Read this instead:
Best Youtube Channels For Chinese Learners: China Edition
Channels By Foreigners Living In Taiwan
In the order of least to most amount of Chinese spoken.
(1) Wes Davies
Wes is a Canadian currently teaching English in Taiwan. His videos are fun, down to earth, and very well edited. He covers a variety of topics from food, culture, travel to life in Taiwan in general.
- Speaking: Mainly in English with some Chinese words.
- Subtitles: Both English and traditional Chinese (Hard-coded)
(2) lifeintaiwan
Allan is a highly energetic English teacher that has been living in Taiwan for more than 10 years. On top of food and travel videos, he also shares his views on commonly asked questions such as “Is Taiwan A Country”, “Is Taiwan Safe”, and “Is Taiwan Wealthy”.
- Speaking: Mainly in English with some Chinese sentences.
- Subtitles: Both English and traditional Chinese (Hard-coded)
(3) Lukas Engström
A Swedish based in Taipei, Lukas shares videos about his travels and scenic attractions around Taiwan.
- Speaking: Mainly in English with some Chinese words.
- Subtitles: Some videos with hard-coded English and traditional Chinese subtitles, and some other videos with options to enable either English or traditional Chinese text subtitles via Youtube captions.
(4) LoganDBeck 小貝
Logan — or 小貝 (xiǎo bèi) in Chinese — is a Youtuber from Salt Lake City residing in Taiwan. He has quite a good grasp of Mandarin and often conduct interviews with locals in Mandarin. He often features his wife and family in his videos covering a wide-range of topics such as food, culture and everyday life experiences such as the garbage trucks in Taiwan.
- Speaking: About 50% English and 50% Chinese.
- Subtitles: Both English and traditional Chinese (Hard-coded)
(5) 馮韋元Francois Devatine
Francois, more commonly known by his Chinese nickname 元元 (yuán yuán), started his Youtube channel as a way to practice his Chinese. He is one of the few Youtubers in this list that does not hard-code his subtitles, hence for those that prefer to watch videos without subtitles have the option to do so with his videos.
- Speaking: Mainly in Chinese.
- Subtitles: Option to enable either English or traditional Chinese text subtitles via Youtube captions.
(6) Ku’s dream酷的夢
Ku or 酷 (kù) — Chinese for cool — is a French Youtuber that makes upbeat videos in a flamboyant style similar to some Taiwanese game shows. He films about the differences between foreign and Taiwanese cultures, his food recommendations in Taiwan, and trying local delicacies such as the thousand year egg 皮蛋 (pí dàn).
- Speaking: Mainly in Chinese.
- Subtitles: Both English and traditional Chinese (Hard-coded). Some key words and phrases are enlarged and often do not have English translations.
(Also) Popular Taiwanese Channel With English Subtitles
TGOP (This Group Of People)
TGOP, currently the most subscribed channel in Taiwan, is short for “this group of people” 這群人 (zhè qún rén). They make funny skits about everyday topics, comedic song covers and frequently heard sayings / quotes in Taiwan. The videos are entirely in Chinese spoken by native Taiwanese so lowering the playback speed might be helpful for some Chinese learners.
- Speaking: Entirely in Chinese.
- Subtitles: Both English and traditional Chinese (Hard-coded)
Did I miss your favorite Youtuber or do you have a bilingual channel with videos sharing Taiwanese culture? Would love to hear about them in the comments.
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