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Dating with the parents Review

 Using reality TV to learn Chinese

There are lots of different ways to interact with the Chinese language. One of the best ways to do this is through Reality Shows. Reality Shows are in the most part unscripted, which can really help you improve your reading and listening skills.

Dating with the parents (新相亲时代)

Dating with the parents is a Chinese dating show. On each episode there are 6 participants with their parents or close family members. Each episode is different, and it alternates between men and women, by this I mean that in some episodes the women get to choose the man, and in other the men choose the women. 

In the show there is one main host who will first introduce the candidates that are choosing their future partners and their parents. There will be a brief introduction about them and what are they looking for.

Then the other participants of the opposite gender will arrive, a small introductory video will be released about them. After that, the participants will get to ask him or her personal questions through their parents or a phone call (so that they can stay anonymous). 

Finally, the choosing participants will decide whether this person is right for them, if they think him or her is the one, they'll meet him or her. And here is where the tables turn, because after they talk for a while, the one who gets to choose is the second participant.

What's especial about this show? 

From what you can see in the title it also involves their families, which is something we don't often see in the west. So, it's interesting to see how sometimes the parents will go against what their child wants, because they think a certain participant has great qualities, and they think they'll compliment their son or daughter. 

Another thing that is great about it is that the topics that are discussed. Through this reality show you'll learn a lot about the way Chinese people see relationships, what they look in a partner, what are their values etc. Also, you'll see the way parents interact with their kids, and how in their own way, they want the best for them.

Why is it a good show to practice Chinese? 


I haven't watched all episode of this show, but I have watched a good amount of them, and all the episodes I watched were completely in Chinese with subtitles. 

From my experience they use a lot of common words, that's why I was able to understand the plot and what most of them were saying, I understood the jokes and also had a laugh with them. But full disclosure you won't be able to completely understand it as an intermediate level, because they use some complex vocabulary, slang, idioms, etc. 

I watched this show for passive immersion, meaning I watched it and did not look up the words that I didn't understand, because I watched it just for my enjoyment. But I think this show will be quite great for active immersion, because the words you'll learn are actually used by Chinese native speakers.







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