Chinese cinema has numerous genres and films that range far beyond traditional period dramas and martial arts genre films. If you enjoy Chinese comedy movies, action, fantasy, and/or animation, Chinese productions offer outstanding productions, exciting stories, and a unique connection to China's amazing culture and history. If you are learning Mandarin in Canada, these Chinese films are an entertaining source of enjoyment but also, an interesting way to practice the language.
Discover the best cinema picks for students to learn Chinese in Canada through film.
The Best Chinese Movies for Every Taste
🌪️ Ne Zha 2
Ne Zha 2 is a Chinese animated sequel to the 2019 film about the Chinese mythological demon boy Nezha. In the first film, Ne Zha was an infant boy who, according to prophecy, was destined to die at three years old because he was born as an incarnation of evil, but ultimately saved the village that had abandoned him. Ne Zha is once again summoned to face new enemies that threaten to disrupt the balance between the spiritual and human world.
✅ Perfect for students who want to practice emotional language, action vocabulary, youth expressions, and authentic intonations.
🌐 Recently available in theaters
🎬 Fantasy, action, comedy.
🧟♂️ The Yin-Yang Master - Dream of Eternity
Adapted from a popular Japanese novel, this fantasy film tells the tale of a young yin and yang master who combats demonic fallen beings seeking to take over the world. The main character also confronts betrayals and allegiances in a fantasy world that mixes action with mysticism.
✅ Ideal for intermediate/advanced learners interested in fantasy storytelling and traditional Chinese elements.
🌐 Available on Netflix Canada
🎬 Dark fantasy, adventure, Chinese mythology.
⚔️ New Gods: Nezha Reborn
Follows Yunxiang, a motorcycle delivery driver, on a journey of self-discovery and struggle against his masked killer, the Dragon Clan, and other threats, to protect his friends and family.
It is a life-or-death story.
✅ Ideal to learn contemporary urban vocabulary, slang, and technological expressions. Combining classical mythology with contemporary Chinese, it is helpful for both technical and narrative vocabulary.
🌐 Available on Netflix
🎬 Chinese animation movies
🕵️♂️ Detective Chinatown 1900
A prequel to the successful Detective Chinatown franchise (1900), this installment takes place in 1900 in San Francisco, where a young Chinese detective investigates a series of murders in Chinatown.
Between clues and humor, the popular franchise returns with a murder mystery.
✅ Ideal for students interested in colloquial expressions and the intercultural mix of Chinese and English.
🌐 Available on Netflix
🎬 Detective comedy with a historical setting in the Chinese community of San Francisco.
👩👧 We Girls
This film follows a group of women after they’ve been released from prison, trying to start their lives over again, battling prejudice, poverty, and broken relationships. Real events also inspire it.
✅ Ideal for those who want to practice contemporary Mandarin, phrases used in the workplace and family, and understand social and cultural aspects of urban China.
🌐 Released in Chinese theaters
🎬 Contemporary drama
🏯 Legends of the Condor Heroes: The Gallants
Based on the novel by Jin Yong, the story follows the young Guo Jing, a martial arts master who becomes a national hero and is drawn into clan warfare.
Guo Jing learns about honor, love and fate.
✅ Ideal for advanced students interested in literary, traditional language, and traditional Chinese culture.
🌐 Available on iQIYI, Youku, and MangoTV.
🎬 Historical, classic martial arts.
Learn Chinese through video games with the favorite Chinese students' video games.
Chinese Horror and Kung Fu Movies: Thrilling Classics
Kung fu and horror have made a significant impact on Chinese cinema. While they are two very different genres, both kung fu and horror films provide an excellent opportunity to learn Mandarin while having an intense thrill rush at the same time. These two forms of cinematography are integral to Chinese cinema. Chinese Kung fu movies are, in one sense, identified by physical action, aspects of honor, philosophy, and hard training, while Chinese horror movies tend to be based on common urban legends, mythology, and traditional beliefs.
If you are learning Chinese in Canada, kung fu and horror films will be great to learn new technical and expressive vocabulary.
Chinese horror films
👻 House That Never Dies
A film based on a legend from Beijing, combining history, family drama, and supernatural horror, revolving around an old haunted house. Ideal for practicing narrative language, vocabulary related to strong emotions, and phrases about death.
👉 Amazon Prime Video or YouTube, with subtitles available.
🩸 Midnight Hair
A young couple moves into a new house, and strange things happen. Scary film that incorporates classic Asian cinema elements, including ghosts, visions, curses, and jump scares! Perfect for intermediate students to learn expressions of surprise, fear, and informal conversation.
👉 You can watch it on independent platforms or view the subtitled version on YouTube.
👁️🗨️ The Eye
The Eye is well known as a co-production with Hong Kong. It follows a young woman who receives a cornea transplant and thereafter has visions of spirits. It's good for learning Chinese since the diction is very clear, the vocabulary is rich, and it uses intonation very well.
👉 Tubi or Apple TV (subtitled version)
Chinese Kung Fu Movies
🥷 The Grandmaster
Directed by Wong Kar-wai, the acclaimed film tells the story of Ip Man, a renowned martial arts master who began teaching in the 1930 and was one of the instructors who trained the iconic celebrity Bruce Lee. Awesome for learning formal vocabulary, martial arts terminology, and philosophical phrases.
👉 Netflix Canada, Amazon Prime
🐉 Crouching Tiger - Hidden Dragon
A famous martial arts master wants to leave his magical sword to his best friend. He asks a powerful warrior he loves to hold the sword until he can deliver it to him, but Li Mu's enemies got to it before he could. Great for poetic dialogue, advanced grammatical structures, and vocabulary related to honor and values.
👉 Netflix, Disney+, Criterion Channel.
⚔️ Fearless
Based on the true story of Huo Yuanjia, this film shows the transformation of an arrogant man into a humble master. Starring Jet Li, it is a story of redemption, culture, & discipline. Great for learning about combat terms, expressions of respect, and cultural phrases associated with kung fu.
👉 Available on iQIYI or to rent on Apple TV.
Must-Watch Chinese Movies on Netflix and Beyond
2025 has made it easier than ever to watch great films made in China right from Canada through streaming services. The sheer number of titles available in Mandarin with English or simplified Chinese subtitles makes it easier to learn the language. Here are some recent and classic Chinese films you must watch.
📺 Netflix Canada
The First Frost: It is one of the most viewed Chinese series of the year 2025 and it is in the Top 10 on Netflix Global. The dialogue is genuine to life with day-to-day expressions and emotional tones.
The Yin-Yang Master - Dream of Eternity: The film offers action, mythology, and visual aesthetics, making it a valuable introduction to traditional concepts such as the five elements and demons in Chinese folklore.
A Love So Beautiful: Ideal for beginners, with accessible language and familiar school situations.
📺 On other platforms available in Canada
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: An award-winning foreign film, ideal for discussions of honor, fate, and the essence of true will.
Fearless: This is a film about the real-life story of Huo Yuanjia, a kung fu master searching for redemption, played by Jet Li. Perfect for language learners of motivational phrases, action vocabulary, and formal and respectful speech.
Through these streaming platforms, you can also find Mandarin series to study Mandarin Chinese in Canada, and offer Chinese audio and subtitles to facilitate language learning.
Chinese Romance and Comedy Movies to Warm Your Heart
Chinese romance movies and comedy films not only provide entertainment and drama, but they are also suitable materials for using Mandarin to have fun while you learn the language. Additionally, romantic and comedy films generally do not contain difficult language and vocabulary. These productions combine complex romantic and humorous situations, family relationships, and young love for everybody to enjoy and learn Chinese.
Below, we share a selection of Chinese romantic and comedy films that you won't want to miss.
💑 My Love
The story is adapted from the South Korean film On Your Wedding Day, and follows two young people from the highs of high school through adulthood, tracing their intersecting and diverging life paths.
👉 Available on Netflix and iQIYI with Mandarin audio and English subtitles too.
✅ Good for: everyday language, expressions of emotional expression and phrases from the youth environment.
🥰 Us and Them
Two young lovers from the provinces migrate to Beijing and fall for each other, but the demands of city life, family, and adulthood push them apart. A realistic narrative of love, personal development, and some hard choices to make.
👉 Available on Netflix Canada.
✅ Good for: learning natural dialogue, urban vocabulary, sentimental phrases, and relationship language.
🎭 Love Will Tear Us Apart
Set in a migrant context, this film tells the story of a relationship between two Chinese people living abroad who must face their past, their identity, and their fear of separation.
👉 Available on platforms such as Viki and YouTube.
✅ Suitable for: learning reflective language; conversations about identity, emotions, and self-identity; personal connections.
🎬 Crazy Little Thing Called Love
A romantic comedy about a girl who decides to alter her appearance and personality in order to appeal to the boy of her dreams. Full of absurd situations, comedy, and youth culture.
👉 Available on iQIYI International and YouTube.
✅ Good for: Urban slang, emotional vocabulary, verbal humor, and self-expression.
🌸 Moonlight Romance
Recently released in China, this film follows a book editor and a lonely novelist who discover love through anonymous letters. A nostalgic story with modern settings.
👉 Coming soon to Viki and digital platforms in Canada.
✅ Good for: literary expressions, poetic language, and phrases of confession and affection.
Tips for learning with these films
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