Taiwan deserves its reputation as Foodie Heaven. In today's podcast, we'll talk in Chinese about some Taiwanese specialties. Learning Mandarin is much more fun on a full stomach. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1161

Life in China is go-go-go. Be it taxi, bicycle, moped or bus number 11, chances are you're going places. In this podcast, learn how to use your Chinese to say you are 'on the way'... here, there, or anywhere. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/1027

We call it Szechuan, they call it Sichuan. Does Ants on a Tree really come with ants? Was it just a novelty dish? All just a joke on the American public? Well, now is your chance to find out. Learn about the Chinese cuisine embraced the world over: the hot and spicy Sichuan. And while you're at it, add a few more dishes to your ordering repertoire. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0968

No, this isn't the mid-evening call soliciting those 'other' services provided at certain questionable establishments... this is the all important, rip you from the womb of your 400 count Egyptian cotton fluffy feather pillowed bliss morning call. Now, you're gonna want to make sure your Chinese '4' pronunciation is tiptop before attempting this feat, should you have an early morning flight. Listen to this podcast and be sure to be the niao that catches the worm. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0926

The humble soup. Brought to life by a symphony of slurps... worthy enough to elevate eating to an oral concerto. In this podcast, get 'drinking' with a Chinese lesson to teach you to embrace, celebrate, and justify mouth noise. Take it from us and start gulping--table manners are sooooo passé. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0796

The Mr. Noodles rage that swept elementary schools in the 80s (crunchy raw with seasoning packet sprinkled on top) doesn't hold a candle to Chinese people's love affair with this quick lunch. Nutritional value: no. Great taste: debatable. Cheap and easy: of course. The recipe for any well-loved Chinese meal. Get your soup on in this podcast, and get yourself some instant noodles, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0920

No, we are not talking about the Ron Burgundy type of class, we are talking about the kind you go to...or at least supposed to go to. So don't skip class, and definitely don't skip this podcast. You will slowly become as wise as a miniature Buddha with yet another Chinese lesson under your belt. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0793

If you think the people all look alike, wait until you see the luggage coming out of the conveyor belt. Apparently 394 of the 395 other passengers bought their black $15 'Samsonite' luggage from the same Pearl Market back alley. Mistaken luggage identity crisis.... what to do? Find it or not, fear not... there's more luggage where that came from... and underwear shops... and Chinese lesson podcasts to get you there. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0915

Oft over looked due to its timid tone and quiet presence, this Mandarin Chinese tone is anything but passive. In this podcast, we visit the sometimes forgotten and difficult to define tone that makes love, not war... impartially takes no sides and conscientiously objects to raising its voice. Its only flaw is perhaps a slight tendency toward wimpiness, but hey it'll never get in your face... the neutral tone. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0788

You've been stuck on city streets too long. Lace up your shoes, point in the direction of trees, and trade in red China for green with this podcast on hiking. Whether it's the trails of Yangming Shan, the pseudo-hills of She Shan, or the dizzying cliffs of Huang Shan, explore the woods that inspired the Chinese painters and poets of old, and see the China behind the bustle Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0907

Here we arrive at the last stage in the rise and fall of the four tones of Mandarin Chinese, and poor fourth is a bit of an enigma. Due to his angry tone of voice and overbearing sharpness, some find it hard to get to know him. In this podcast, we peel back the layers and help fourth tone make peace with his inner child. He's not mad, just misunderstood. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0784

The apparatus may be the same. The venue, similar--give or take a few trees. The wafts of the mouth-watering scent of roasting flesh. You begin to reminisce over the long days of summers past-- replete with hot dogs, steak, jacket potatoes... but WAIT. What do you see... whaaat the... Yes, the medium is the same, but the materials are very, very different. Listen to this podcast and learn about Chinese barbecue. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0898

The third tone is basically the middle child of the Mandarin line-up. It gets abused like a red-headed step child. Sometimes it's third, sometimes it gets ridden roughshod by second tone, and sometimes it straps a fourth tone on for good times. Third tone suffers from low self-esteem and is still trying to find its true self. Listen to this podcast and give the third tone the love it missed out on as a child. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0780

You know the signs. A mass of people, ten deep, reminiscent of a football huddle. A flying chair. A lot of arguing and pointing and yelling, but nary a punch thrown. Yes, it is the China street argument. Whether you're a looky-loo, or more of the steal-a-furtive-glance type, listen to this Chinese lesson and join in on the biggest spectator sport in urban China. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0982

Yeaaaah, you've been known to chang a little ge when no one is around. So, stop the bashful act... have a few beers if that helps... and get your KTV on. Select a forgotten 80s tune (Purple Rain is a rousing melody), turn on the reverb. Wrestle the microphone from your partner in song, and see a side of the Chinese you never knew existed. Listen to this podcast and learn how to join in, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0892

Of all the tones, the second tone is the most exciting. It's a rising tone. Don't get too charged up though, we don't want to turn it in to a fourth tone just yet, we want to make this last. Listen to this podcast and learn all about the second tone of Mandarin Chinese as it ascends to its rousing climax. Just try not to wake the neighbors. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0775

Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... Watch, bag, DVD... need we say more? No. Need they say more? Please no. But how to get them to stooooop?? Listen to this podcast, and learn how to refuse, in Mandarin. Then again, maybe just a little peek wouldn't hurt... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0885

The alpha, the genesis, dongxi numero uno. All the other tones wish they were this high, but without the other tones, we wouldn't know how supreme the first tone actually is. That's the existential truth of tonal relativity. The first tone in history to get its very own podcast, and the only tone that's phonetically represented by its Chinese character--learn about it in this lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0769

Your last Chinese dining experience has left you with a little post-traumatic stress, yes, but let us assure you that that toothsome slimy black ball you just sucked up your straw was NOT a fish eye. Or fish egg for that matter. Was it a drink, a food, or an unidentifiable glutinous object? You be the judge. Learn what it is and how to get some gluey goodness in Mandarin in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0882

Sometimes bathroom stalls in China don't have doors on them. Though this may seem shocking to some, it's quite convenient when faced with the dilemma of whether to push the door open to potential stall going-ons, or not. But for those more uncertain times, when you are blocked by those troublesome stall doors, here is a Mandarin Chinese lesson that will help you to rouse any occupants before you waltz in to do your business. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0765

No, ChinesePod has not sold out. We have not succumbed to target marketing, multinational corporate conspiracies, nor do we endorse one cola over another (though in the blind taste test challenge, admittedly, had a favorite). This lesson is simply for those of us who want a Diet Coke. Here's how to get one, in Mandarin. Of course, as a personal favor... you could machine-gun click the play button a few times. You know... royalties... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0870

Your doctor tells you to quit, the surgeon general's cancer warning on the pack kinda freaks you out, but the artist in you can't get those wispy smoke-filled 'In the Mood for Love' scenes out of your mind. You didn't come to the only place on the planet where smoking in pubs hasn't been banned yet for no reason. This is your last hurrah. In this podcast, learn how to bum a cigarette from a stranger in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0760

Oops sorry i bumped into you, oops excuse me my umbrella hit your eye, oops I opened the car door into you, oops, oh no, I wiped my baozi juice on your sleeve. In a place like this, accidents will happen. When 'sorry' is getting old and 'buhaoyisi' feels a bit long-winded, learn how to plead innocence in Mandarin Chinese in this podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0862

It's only been rumored to have ever happened in this city once, and that was from a Canadian tourist who was visiting from the Niagara falls region, and to this day we haven't found any witnesses to confirm this ever took place. In this podcast, a model lesson in Mandarin Chinese from a model world where chivalry is not dead. And if it's not dead... someway, somehow, somewhere, it could happen to you too... Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0756

Our hungry traveler ventures off to the "Hawaii of China" for some much needed R&R. An island resort in China you say? It's true that Hainan's resort destination, Sanya, has flown under the radar to most of the western world, but it has all the requirements of an island getaway. When you tire of the sun, sand, and coconut tree hammocks, a world of seafood and tropical fruit awaits. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0944

Don't worry if that old hamstring injury dashed your Olympic dreams of bringing glory to your nation... do what Da Shan did... put on a blue silk Chinese suit and make your Mandarin so annoyingly good that you make your otherwise unassuming country famous. No steroids required. Go for gold, of the Mandarin variety, in this Olympic lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0854

The unending feud between those annoying morning people and their alter-egos, the 'night cats' comes to a Chinese lesson today. Listen in as pre-noon takes on post-noon, chipper good mornings take on groggy good afternoons. Listen and learn in Mandarin how to do battle for control of the alarm clock setting.

All good stories have to come to an end, including the saga of our friend Yang Jie. She kinda got sick of writing, as diary-keepers usually do. Plus, we were starting to feel like creeps, slinking into her room every night to sneak a peek. In this podcast, find out how things turn out for Yang Jie and co-stars. How do you say in Chinese: "She's not that into you..." Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0847

Open the lights and turn off the door, er, I mean, turn on the lights and close the door... why is this so confusing? Just get in here and pretend you love me. Close the lights if you have to. In this podcast, a Mandarin Chinese lesson on how to turn on/off the lights. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0744

Today is Tomb Sweeping Day. The special day of paying respect to ancestors, lighting incense, making burnt offerings, and, like any self-respecting Chinese holiday... lighting off firecrackers. The holiday also favored by those with money to burn. So open up your wallet, light up your money, and listen to this podcast to learn more in Mandarin about the traditions of tomb sweeping. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0842

Oh, look at him. He's a cross between Tony Leung and a young Ken Carroll. No, more like Chow Yun Fat meets John Pasden. Those are the handsome boys in this neck of the woods... how about yours? Listen to this podcast and learn how to talk about them, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0737

Being a new language student, everyday can feel like Fool's Day, so think of today as a day to celebrate fools. Take your turn laughing at someone else. Pull the worst fool-causing prank you can, and spend the next year reliving it during those moments of Mandarin learning mortification. In this podcast, we help, with the ole not-so-original but oh-so-easy-to-pull-off Chinese 'hot-sauce-in-your-food' prank. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0838

Though they scare us, rip us off at times, and don’t wash the white seat covers nearly enough, there’s nothing like the vindication of winning the taxi battle and claiming your prize of a ride home. This lesson reminds us of all the times we almost wanted to kiss the taxi driver that finally stopped for us on a rainy day. Listen and learn how to snag your taxi, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0732

Everyone knows there are a lot of fakes in China. Fake prada, fake watches, fake art students... yes, those too. So stay away from those sweet looking Nanjing Lu predators, and stick to the real art museums of China. Where treasures of jade bok choy and 50,000 renditions of West Lake lie awaiting your discovery. Educate yourself, art-wise and Mandarin-wise, in this lesson. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0833

No, it's not a lesson on CB radio lingo, good buddy. Rather, it's those pesky Chinese tones again. In this podcast, a Mandarin lesson to dissect the difference in sound between the perfect 10 and oft-maligned 4. Listen in, and you'll be blowing them away with the 'forty lions' tongue twister at the next game show that comes your way. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0728

Fabric markets, little shops, department stores, Taobao... cheap and cheerful clothes abound in China. You're feeling like a knock-out in your knock-offs, and now that you're going to be looking so pretty, better learn how to accept a compliment. In this podcast, learn how to comment on clothing, and how to respond, in Mandarin Chinese. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0978

Babe Ruth barnstormed in Shanghai, and MLB says baseball was the "unofficial sport" of the People's Liberation Army in the 1940's. But 60 years later, only five Mandarin swinging ball players have made it to the big leagues, all coming from the talent pools of Taiwan. Opening day is 'round the corner, so listen to this podcast and take a swing at this lesson on "fat-big-chunky-piece-of-stick ball". Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0830

Some people are addicted to coke, others to crystal meth, but for the Chinese, the white powder of choice is none other than MSG. True, the MSG high leads to jacked up tasting pleasure, but if you want to avoid the crash, you might want to ‘just say no.’ Listen to this podcast to learn how--do your part in the War on MSG. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0724

Whether you've headed to this lesson because you're feeling a little lethargic in your study efforts, or because the idea of a cheerleader egging you on brings you some sort of post-jock high school flashback comfort, you're sure to gain a little spring in your step. Listen to this podcast when you're feeling down--Jenny will wave her pompoms and teach you to study Mandarin and not give up. Jiayou everybody! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0827

Just when you learned the Chinese word for 'key', technology had to come in and mess it all up for you. In this podcast, check-in to your hotel with us, in Mandarin, and feel the sense of accomplishment of finding your room, all in Chinese! Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0721

In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty, I first set my eyes on sweet....Ken Carroll!?? Whilst Ken may not be as hot as Molly Malone, he certainly knows his way about Dublin. Listen to the Sino-Irish man himself as he takes you on a Mandarin Chinese tour through the streets of the capital of Ireland with all its pubs, pints, and...eh... leprechauns. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0823

The visions you're having of glistening bacon and bottomless coffee might very soon be dashed. A lumpy curdled bowl of soy product and noodles a la oil don't appeal at 7:00 am? Wait till you taste... you just might come over to the Chinese side of breaky. This ain't no mini-wheats. 5,000 years in the development, learn in this podcast how to eat breakfast, China-style. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0717

The 'Warring Bills' period of Chinese history is officially over for all ChinesePod users. An international treating treaty has been declared, and it involves a handy little phrase that will be an instrument in achieving restaurant check peace. Listen to this podcast to learn what it is, and make your contribution to world Chinese dinner table harmony. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0819

Granted, the 'you're tall' compliments have gotten fewer and farther between since Yao Ming had to come on the scene and wreck it for all of us. However, you can still milk some around here... just get some high heeled boots. Listen to this podcast, which will teach you not only to tell someone your height, in Mandarin Chinese, but also teach all you imperialists to think metric. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0713

We are not talking about the starting time of your own athletic competition... the last of which was probably field day at your junior high school where you took home the purple "honorable mention" ribbons in every event you entered. We are talking about the best athletes in the world, and they are going to be here in China before you know it. So sit back in your lazy boy, grab some Cheetos and a cold one, and listen to this here podcast. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0814

Mouths were intended to be used for so much more than speaking Chinese. Sometimes the language of love communicates better than the best vocabulary, so it never hurts to get a little lip service... In this podcast, get smoochy-smoochy with us and learn to ask for a kiss, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0709

When you mix a Portuguese bun with a Chinese egg roll, what do you get? Is there any hope of a compatible union for these two unlikely partners in calories? This edition of the Hungry Traveler takes us to the shores of Macao. The Las Vegas of China, where one can only hope to find all-you-can-eat buffets filled with this kind of fare... Work up an appetite listening to this podcast on the cuisine of Macao. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0933

You've camped out for U2 tickets, queued for boxing day sales... but the bank? Waiting outside the bank before it opens is a national pastime and community social event in China. So take your number (ah, so this is why they line up at the screech of dawn), take a seat and hunker down for your lesson in patience. While you wait, listen to this podcast on bank hours in Chinese and secure your teller time. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0801

The kind host refilling your tea for the twenty-fourth time is indeed generous, but for those of us with TB (tiny bladder), we just might need to learn to tell them when to quit. Listen to this podcast, and learn to graciously decline another cup in Mandarin Chinese. Either that, or just sip slower. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0704

Long before Catherine the Great made equestrian famous, people used to jump things on horseback. But not in China. Considering their stature and overuse of the word ma, if any nation should dominate a sport, it's the Chinese in equestrian. Sadly this isn't the case, due to an ancient declaration of karaoke as the national sport. In this podcast, learn about this Olympic sport, in Mandarin. Episode link: https://www.chinesepod.com/0798