Dashu Mandarin Podcast

Meet Teacher Minmin (郑敏), one of the most cheerful and energetic guests we've ever had on Dashu Mandarin! A childhood injury changed her life. She faced discrimination, failed the postgraduate entrance exam five times, and experienced plenty of unexpected challenges along the way. But how did she become such a positive, funny, and passionate Chinese teacher? In this episode, Uncle Can, Uncle...

Have you ever had to say goodbye to a pet you truly loved? 🐱💔In this episode, Uncle Can shares the emotional story of how his family adopted a cat, slowly fell in love with it, and eventually had to give it away. What started as a happy experience turned into a heartbreaking goodbye. The conversation then takes some unexpected turns! Uncle Ben shares hilarious stories about his father's four...

Can a breakup completely change your life? 💔Meet John (王建中), a Chinese teacher with 20 years of teaching experience! But believe it or not, his journey into teaching Chinese began with an unexpected breakup. From working in marketing to becoming a Chinese teacher, John shares how one painful experience changed his career path and eventually led him to discover his passion for teaching. In this...

Uncle Ben is finally back from his month-long trip to China! 🇨🇳✈️From delicious food and rainy days in Chengdu to meeting students and old friends, he has plenty of stories to share. But one unexpected experience turned his trip into an incredibly awkward adventure! 😳What happened? And how did Uncle Ben end up caught in the middle of someone else's complicated situation? Join the three uncles...

Maayot, a Chinese graded reading platform that sends short Chinese stories to learners regularly, making Chinese reading easier to turn into a habit. Check out Maayot here: 👉https://www.maayot.com/Maayot，一个中文分级阅读平台。它可以定期给学习者发送短篇中文故事，帮助学习者更轻松、更持续地进行中文阅读练习。0:00 开场5:29 Maayot 8:40 我们刷哪些不正经的短视频------------------------------------------...

An unscripted episode turned into an absolute surprise! What started as a casual gossip session about our favorite "mysterious 4th member"—Brice (布莱)—took an unexpected turn when HE LOCALLY JOINED THE CALL mid-conversation! In this episode, the uncles dive deep into Brice’s life in Taiwan, only for Brea himself to crash the party and share his side of the story:- The Romance & Real...

It’s an unscripted, completely spontaneous episode! Starting with zero preparation and a collective brain freeze, the three hosts dive into a genuinely candid conversation about meeting online friends in real life. What happens when your digital connections step into reality? Ben gets recognized at a Barcelona restaurant by a former student from two years ago! Uncle Richard shares a traumatic expe...

🎓 "I'll never be a teacher!" ...Famous last words! ⏳ 10 years later, Teacher Yunyun has taught in primary and secondary schools in Thailand, pursued her Master's in Educational Studies in the UK, and helped thousands of students master Mandarin. In this special episode of Dashu Mandarin, Yunyun joins us to address the biggest obstacle facing language learners: The feeling of lo...

In this episode of Dashu Mandarin, Ben shares the big news: He finally got his Spanish permanent residency! But immediately after, a hilarious "7-year itch" moment hit him—is it time to move to Southeast Asia?!We also take an honest, comedic, and deep dive into:The nightmare of European bureaucracy (and paying agents just to get an appointment!)The reality of WFH life, housing prices in...

In this special episode of Dashu Mandarin, we are joined by KoKo, a super energetic and uniquely talented Chinese teacher based in Suzhou! Teaching Chinese primarily through Japanese, KoKo shares her fascinating observations on Japanese cultural nuances, personal boundary rules, and how she broke through the "invisible wall" to turn students into lifelong friends—and even "half-fami...

How did a crudely animated, hand-made movie by a mother-son duo beat Hollywood blockbusters at the Chinese box office? In this hilarious and insightful episode of Dashu Mandarin, the three uncles dive into China's latest viral internet phenomenon: "Niu Lai" (牛来). From crowd psychology and "ugly-appreciation" (审丑) to a deep dive into the flaws of today's film industr...

In this surprisingly candid and hilarious episode of Dashu Mandarin, the three uncles tackle a taboo topic that most men avoid: Why are more Chinese men choosing to sit down when using the bathroom? What starts as a funny, late-night confession quickly evolves into a deep, relatable discussion about aging, physical vulnerabilities, personal boundaries, and the unsung burdens of daily housework. Fr...

What does it truly mean to be a father in modern China? Is parenting about unconditional support, or pushing kids through fierce competition? In this episode of Dashu Mandarin Podcast (大叔中文播客), Teacher Can (璨叔) takes the mic to share a deeply personal, unscripted look at Chinese fatherhood, parenting struggles, and raising a child today. From dealing with high academic pressure and kid&#39...

From standardizing hotel management in Macau to teaching Mandarin online in Portugal! 🇲🇴✈️🇵🇹In this special interview episode of Dashu Mandarin, Can Shu and Cha Shu welcome Vanessa (Yingying)—a former hotel administrative professional who spent years in Taiwan and Macau before moving to Portugal with her family. We dive deep into her unique journey: transitioning from the intense hospitality indus...

What happens when three friends sit down to ask each other deep, unfiltered questions? Things get real, fast! 💬✨In this episode of Dashu Mandarin, what started as a simple Q&A game quickly turned into one of our most intimate and emotional conversations yet. From funny family updates to deep life philosophies, we’re opening up about the moments that shaped us.🔥 Inside this episode:• Can’s r...

Why is installing an air conditioner in Spain a month-long nightmare, while in Asia it only takes 24 hours? In this episode of Dashu Mandarin, Ben, Cha, and Can dish on the ultimate culture shock for Asian expats living in Europe: EFFICIENCY! From waiting weeks for an AC installation and banks closing at 2 PM, to multi-year roadworks and strict social rules—we compare the slow-paced European lifes...

What is it really like to move from Beijing to London and navigate a cross-cultural marriage? 🌏In this episode, we sit down with Kerin, a Beijing native now living in the UK, to talk about life, love, and the cultural shocks that actually matter. Forget the textbooks—we are diving into the real, unfiltered stuff: from the "hidden" perks of having a British mother-in-law to the complex r...

Let’s be real—we usually talk about life, culture, and Chinese language. But in this episode, we’re peeling back the curtain on something we don’t discuss enough: the "hustle," the desire for financial stability, and how our perspectives on money have shifted as we’ve hit mid-life. From Japanese student gifts to the surprisingly polarizing topic of "skinny injections," this con...

Can you believe it? Dashu Mandarin has officially hit the 4-year mark! What started as three guys casually chatting has turned into over 200 episodes of unfiltered, honest, and sometimes deeply personal conversations about life, teaching, and everything in between. In this special anniversary episode, we’re dropping the "teacher personas" and getting real about what this podcast has actu...

Learn Chinese with fun stories, articles, and videos at https://dashumandarin.com/ 📖✨ —no boring textbooks! 🚫📚Ready to break through your Chinese learning plateau? Explore Uncle Can's Level-Up Training System. Check out our approach and watch a real video breakdown on the landing page to see if it’s the right fit for your goals:👉 https://eazymandarinlican.carrd.co/===🌹 If you love the Da...

Many Chinese learners want to start reading “real Chinese books” as soon as possible, but this can often be frustrating — too many new words, long sentences, and not enough confidence.很多中文学习者都想尽快开始读“真正的中文书”，但是对很多学生来说，这件事很容易让人感到挫败：生词太多，句子太长，读不下去，也很难建立信心。In this episode, we talk about why graded readers can be a smarter way to start...

Are we in control of our lives, or are we just being pushed along? In this episode of Dashu Mandarin, three Chinese teachers in their 40s sit down for a painfully honest conversation about fate, free will, and the choices that shaped them.🔸 One of us got “forced” into chasing a girl in high school — and later realized he didn’t even like her.🔸 Another grew up in China’s intense exam system, beca...

How to Learn Chinese with Mandarin Teacher 如何跟真人老师学习中文?🎯 Learn languages 1-on-1 with native teachers on italki. 🎉 Use code DASHU to get $5 off your first lesson💻 Web: https://go.italki.com/dashu2606 | 📱 App: https://go.italki.com/dashu2606app👉 Book a lesson with Teacher Ben on Italki today：https://go.italki.com/teacherben

Ever wondered what happens when you combine a month-long European vacation with two "typical" Chinese aunties (and your own mother)? In this episode of Uncle Chinese, Ben breaks his silence after a 30-day journey across Spain, France, and Italy with his mom and her best friend of 50 years. What started as a labor of love quickly turned into a masterclass in patience, cultural clashes, and the univ...

Uncle Can is finally back after an operation and rest.