If you were planning a trip to China before the world suddenly changed, although it will never replace the real thing, there are still plenty of ways to travel to China from home. We have been to China twice, the last trip spending two months in China. It’s such an interesting country to visit, and we hope that you can get there as soon as things settle down. Until then, here are some great movies, tv shows, youtube channels, music, blogs, dishes and recipes to cook at home, ways to learn the language and products to buy. If you have any recommendations for how to travel to China from home make sure to add them in the comments, we’d love to hear!
CONTENTS
How To Travel To China From Home Video
Movies Set In China
TV Shows About China
Youtube Channels About China
Chinese Music
China Travel Blogs
China Recipe/Food Blogs
Chinese Cookbooks
Books About China
Products From/Inspired By China
How To Learn Mandarin At Home
How To Travel To China From Home Video
Movies Set In China
Chongqing Hot Pot
We watched a few movies during our two month trip to China, but Chongqing Hot Pot had to be our favourite. It’s essentially about a group of friends and a bank heist, but you also get a taste for life and culture in Chongqing.
Song Of The Phoenix
Another great movie we watched in China, Song of the Phoenix is centred around an ancient Chinese instrument, the Suona. It shows a different side to China and a different time.
Wished
Wished is more of a quirky romantic comedy, which we got a few laughs from. If you are after a laugh and a look at a rom-com set in China, this one will be interesting.
More Movies Set In China To Enjoy
A couple of well-known movies set in China are Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and House Of The Flying Daggers. Chances are you may have already watched these, but if not, now is a perfect time. Mission Impossible III also has some scenes set in Shanghai and Xitang Water Town. And although not set in China, the stunning floating mountains in Avatar were inspired by Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in China.
Some more Chinese movies that look good include Fearless, Goodbye Mr Loser and Hero.
TV Shows About China
So we didn’t actually watch any Chinese TV shows during our trip, so if you know any good ones, let us know in the comments below! But we loved watching some great food and travel shows about China before our trip. We love travelling for the food, so if you do too, we think you will love these.
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown + No Reservations
Two that don’t need any explanation, are Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (Season 4 Episode 2: Shanghai + Season 8 Episode 4: Sichuan) and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Season 2 Episode 1: Asia Special – China & Japan + Season 3 Episode 7: From Shanghai To Shangri-la). Watching Anthony Bourdain is the epitome of exploring the world from home, no-one can show you a culture, people, food, or feel of a place quite as he did.
Adam Liaw ‘Destination Flavour: China’
Another TV show we really enjoyed watching before our trip to China is Adam Liaw ‘Destination Flavour: China Series’. Adam Liaw is an Australian Chef who visits many regions of China and explores both the food and human/cultural sides of China. Great if you are trying to get an idea of the different regions of China, dishes to eat whilst there and some recipes too.
David Chang’s Ugly Delicious
David Chang’s Ugly Delicious also touches on Chinese food in Season 1 Episode 7 (Fried Rice) and Episode 8 (Stuffed). These episodes are not all about China or Chinese food, but it definitely features.
Youtube Channels About China
Mamahuhu
We only discovered Mamahuhu Youtube Channel before our most recent trip to China, and we are hooked. Mamahuhu is essentially a sketch comedy channel about life in China, especially from an ex-pats point of view in Shanghai, but often comparing both local and ex-pat sides. It’s very interesting and becomes even more hilarious once you have spent some time in China. It is filmed and scripted so well. Videos we love are Stare, The Last Man In Shanghai, Laowai Park and The Laowai Baoan. And if you are looking for Shanghai tips, their ‘The Guide To Shanghai’ video is fantastic.
The Food Ranger
The Food Ranger takes you to different parts of China and will show you so many amazing and interesting things to eat across the country. If you love food and travel and are planning a trip to China, you will easily binge-watch these videos.
Chinese Music
Ok, so again, although we heard Chinese music during our time in China, we have no idea the name of songs and artists. Actually, I really love the more ancient Chinese instrumental music. But we tried to do some research here and come up with some artists or songs in China. If you have any recommendations we would love to hear them, just pop it in the comments at the end of the article.
Traditional Chinese Music
Here are the names of some famous traditional instrumental Chinese music:
- High Mountains and Flowing Waters composed by Yu Boya
- Plum Blossom Melodies In Three Variations composed by Heng Yi
- Ambush from ten sides composed by Hua Qiuping
- Wild Geese Descending On The Sandbank by Henry Li
- Flute and Drum at Sunset composed by Yinghai Li
- Eighteen Songs Of A Nomad Flute
- White Snow In Early Spring composed by Shi Kuang
Modern Chinese Music
So for more contemporary music, Jay Chou came up a lot, especially his song Fearless, which is actually part of the soundtrack for the movie of the same name (also listed in our movie section). Khalil Fong was another name which came up frequently, along with G.E.M. The song ‘Stranger in the north’ by Namewee feat. Leeham Wong also seemed to have interesting lyrics about China. Big Fish by Zhou Shen is another interesting one which is part of the soundtrack to the animated film Big Fish and Begonia.
China Travel Blogs
We might be biased, but we think travel blogs are one of the best ways to travel to China from home. Take this time to figure out all the things you need to know before you visit China, pick out some destinations that interest you, and bookmark them for all the rest of your travel planning later. Here are some of our favourite China travel blogs.
China Mike is a great travel blog to look before your trip to China. He covers general things to know about China really well, like Visa’s, packing tips, money tips and things to do with the internet in China.
Wild China Blog is actually a blog of a China Tour company. They have some interesting articles about Chinese culture and food.
Rachel Meets China is written by an ex-pat living in Beijing and she has plenty of great travel guides and tips for different areas around China.
If you’re looking for China Food Blogs with recommendations for where to eat, especially in Shanghai, we love Shanghai Girl Eats and Nomfluence.
China Recipe/Food Blogs
What better way to travel to China from home than to cook some delicious Chinese dishes. Some of our favourite Chinese dishes include:
- Dan Dan noodles (Dàndàn miàn, 担担面)
- Shanghai Sesame Noodles (Májiàng miàn, 麻酱面)
- Shanghai Spicy Peanut Sauce Wontons
- Guotie (pot-stickers, Guōtiē, 鍋貼)
- Sweet Water Noodles (Tián shuǐmiàn, 甜水面)
- Scallion Pancakes (Cōngyóubǐng, 葱油饼)
- Scallion Oil Noodles (Cōng yóu bàn miàn, 葱油拌面)
- Jianbing (Jiānbǐng, 煎饼)
Here are some fantastic China Food Blogs with plenty of Chinese recipes to make at home.
- Omnivores Cookbook
- The Woks Of Life
- China Sichuan Food
- Appetite For China
- I Am A Food Blog – China Archives
- Yi Reservation
Chinese Cookbooks
Another way to make those delicious Chinese dishes and to hone your Chinese cooking skills is by getting one of these tasty Chinese cookbooks:
- Every Grain Of Rice By Fuchsia Dunlop
- All Under Heaven By Carolyn Phillips
- Mastering The Art Of Chinese Cooking By Eileen Yin-Fei Lo
- Hunan: A Lifetime Of Secrets From Mr Peng’s Chinese Kitchen
- Complete Chinese Cookbook By Ken Hom
- Simple Chinese Cooking By Kylie Kwong
- China: The Cookbook By Kei Lum Chan
Books About China
Whether you are looking for a fictional book about China, or you want to learn more about Chinese history or current society, these books about China are a great place to start:
- China In Ten Words by Yu Hua – A non-fiction book about society and life in modern China.
- Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos – a non-fiction book about the complexities of modern China written by a Beijing correspondent for The New Yorker.
- Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler – A non-fiction book about the human transformation in China, moving between ancient and modern times.
- Wild Swans: Three Daughters Of China by Jung Chang – A non-fiction book described as the story of three generations in twentieth-century China, including the experience of the author, her mother and her grandmother.
- Mao’s Great Famine: The History Of China’s Most Devastating Catastrophe, 1958-1962 by Frank Dikötter – A non-fiction book about Mao Zedong, former Chairman of the People’s Republic Of China and the impact of his ‘Great Leap Forward’ campaign.
- Out Of Mao’s Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China by Philip P. Pan – A non-fiction story about the people of China and their struggle for political freedom.
- Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built by Duncan Clark – This is the story of how Jack Ma built Ali Baba, and although the actual writing gets mixed reviews, Jack Ma’s story would be enough to entice me to read this.
Products From/Inspired By China
We will add to this over time, but for now, we will start with:
- Fly By Jing – created by Jenny Gao, here you will find flavours of china bottled! Here you can purchase Sichuan Chili Crisp, Zhong Dumpling Sauce and Mala Spice Mix. A perfect way to add some authenticity to your Chinese home cooking.
How To Learn Mandarin At Home
Duolingo
After trying a few somewhat confusing ‘specialist’ Mandarin learning platforms, we ended up sticking to Duolingo for its ease of use, ability to practice pronunciation and to track progress. It’s also free to use, which is a nice bonus.
Audible
Audible is so fabulous for almost anything. We admittedly haven’t tried using it for learning Mandarin, but we are using it now for learning Spanish and it’s been great. Essentially, Audible is just a marketplace for audiobooks, and they happen to have a few on Learning Mandarin that might be worth a try. We are using Paul Noble books for learning Spanish which is fantastic and he also happens to have some audiobooks for learning Mandarin too. Audible is super easy to use from home or out and about, but at home would be my tip for language learning so you can practice your pronunciation out loud.
We will keep adding to this guide over time and hope this will help you travel to China from home!
Read More:
Things To Know Before Travelling To China For The First Time
How To Get A Tourist Visa For China