Understand China Better With These 10 Culture-Focused Chinese WeChat Accounts

WeChat is way more than just a messaging tool. As well as enabling financial transactions, allowing us to book flights, train and movie tickets, and find the best place to eat out, it is also a great way to stay up to date with all sorts of news, deals, and information about your favorite public figures and brands.

We asked our colleagues around the Beijinger office to recommend some of their favorite Chinese-language services and public accounts. Ranging from Chinese movie reviews and book recommendations, to first-person stories around China, and hot goss from the Beijing music scene, these accounts are not only great for Chinese language practice but can also help you understand China better in general.

Check out our alphabetical list below.

CJHphotography (ID: humans-of-china)

Cameron Hack is a British photographer who travels around China, documenting the lives of ordinary people. Each bilingual post contains a single photo paired with a brief quote from the individuals, many of whom are willing to open up about their fascinating, and sometimes heartbreaking past. His photo series capturing the last ladies with bound feet in China is especially intriguing.

READ: One Photographer's Mission to Find the Last Women in China With Bound Feet

单读 (ID: dandureading)

单读 is an up-and-coming publication that focuses on modern Chinese literature. The account publishes book recommendations as well as reviews of both original Chinese texts and translated versions of classics, so it's a good source to enrich your to-read list. If you'd like to be updated about modern Chinese literature, check the similar account 理想国 uimaginist (ID: lixiangguo2013). 

顾爷 (ID: grandpagu)

If you think art reviews are boring, then 顾爷 is here to change your mind. This account reviews works created by artists from China and around the world, as well as anecdotes about the people behind the art that interacts with the source material in an engaging and fun way. The humorous and easy-to-understand tone has won the account over 1.2 million followers on Weibo so far.

故事FM (ID: story_fm)

This account features first-person stories from around China, accompanied by an audio record voiced by the protagonist. Its style is simple and unadorned, making it not only a great resource to listen to interesting, real-life stories to help you understand China better, but also a very useful language learning tool.

HUGO (ID: microhugo)

HUGO often features posts that delve into Chinese social issues, with a focus on discussions from the point of view from Chinese women. For example, a recent post detailed the pressure that Chinese women feel to get married and how they deal with the stress accordingly within this social context.

KnowYourself (ID: knowyourself2015)

KnowYourself publishes topics and discussions that revolve around psychology, addressing topics such as relationships woes and mental health issues among young people. The account also provides an online counseling service.

Voice研究所 (ID: voicelaboratory)

This account highlights independent bands and musicians in China and posts frequently updated concert information about domestic and international bands touring around the country, as well as the latest trends in the music scene.

为你读诗 (ID: thepoemforyou)

Each day at 10pm, this account posts a beautiful poem from a domestic or international poet. Each one also comes with an audio stream, often voiced by a Chinese celebrity, as well as a brief bio of the poet.

一席 (ID: yixiclub)

The Chinese answer to TED Talk, 一席 features inspiring talks from people that have overcome, learned, or found success in a specific area of expertise.

中国电影资料馆 (ID: china_film_archive)

China Film Art Research Center near Jishuitan screens domestic and foreign movies, both old and new. They send out their screening schedule via this official account, which also provides synopses and reviews of the featured movies screening the following week. Call ahead to check if movies will be screened with English subtitles.

READ: 6 Lesser Known WeChat Functions You Need in Your Life

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Email: kuang@thebeijinger.com
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Photos: Adrianna Calvo (via Pexels)