Chinese Music & Radio for Listening Practice
Listen to Chinese music and live radio while building your listening skills. These streaming platforms offer everything from popular songs and lyrics to radio stations and other native audio content, giving you an easy way to hear more Chinese in everyday life.
Entries marked ✓ U.S. Access do not require a VPN.
Chinese Language Radio - ✓ U.S. Access
★ Watch free live TV channels from Mandarin-speaking regions and countries around the world. Famelack is a free browser-based live TV directory where users can browse channels by country or category, navigate with an interactive 3D globe, or try a random channel. Mandarin-language content is available from mainland China and Taiwan, along with other regions and countries where Mandarin is spoken, including Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia. The site links to publicly available live streams and requires no signup or subscription.
✓ U.S. Access | Free
★ Listen to a large selection of authentic Chinese podcasts and audio programs. Lizhi FM (荔枝FM) is a Chinese audio platform featuring podcasts, stories, audiobooks, radio dramas, live audio, and other user-created programs covering a wide range of topics. Much of the content provides learners with exposure to natural spoken Chinese from native speakers. The service is free to use, with optional in-app purchases available in the app. Available on the web and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid
★ Listen to live Chinese radio stations and a wide variety of Mandarin audio programs. Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a Chinese audio platform featuring live radio, audiobooks and novels, children’s stories, talk shows, history, culture, education, traditional storytelling, and other spoken-audio content. The platform offers free content along with optional paid memberships and premium programs. Available on the web and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid
★ Listen to more than 1,500 Chinese radio stations, with live broadcasts and programs you can replay later. Radio.cn (云听, Yúntīng) is China Media Group’s audio platform, offering Chinese radio from across China along with news, music, culture, talk programs, audiobooks, and other native-speaker audio. Its radio section lets listeners browse live stations by region and type and return to recently aired programs for on-demand listening, making it especially useful for intermediate and advanced Mandarin listening practice. The iOS app is free to download with optional in-app purchases. Learn more on their website. Some programs may be unavailable outside China because of regional licensing restrictions. Available on iOS.
Free / Paid
★ Tune in to thousands of live radio stations around the world by moving across an interactive globe. Radio Garden lets you browse and listen to live radio stations by country, city, or location, making it useful for finding Mandarin-language broadcasts from China, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, and other regions. The service is free to use, with ads and optional paid premium features in the mobile apps. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid
★ Free Mandarin news, radio programs, podcasts, and video from Taiwan’s national broadcaster. Radio Taiwan International (RTI) offers authentic Mandarin content from Taiwan, including current news, live and on-demand radio programs, podcasts, videos, and cultural coverage. This free resource is useful for practicing listening and reading with real-world Taiwanese media. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free
★ Free Mandarin news, radio, podcasts, and video from Australia’s SBS. SBS Mandarin provides Mandarin-language coverage of Australian and international news, current affairs, community stories, lifestyle topics, radio programs, podcasts, and video content, with much of the site presented in Simplified Chinese. The resource is free to use and is available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free
★ Offers live Mandarin radio programming from the San Francisco Bay Area. Sing Tao Chinese Radio is a free Chinese-language radio service featuring news, current affairs, talk shows, music, lifestyle topics, and other programming. Live programs follow a broadcast schedule, so listeners outside Pacific Time should check the schedule and adjust for their time zone. Listen on the web. Available on Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free
★ Listen to live radio from across China through one national directory and 31 regional listings. TuneIn’s China radio directory currently lists 17 stations directly and links to 31 provincial and regional directories for additional stations, with broadcasts covering news, music, traffic, talk, and other programming. TuneIn is free with ads, with an optional Premium subscription that adds features such as fewer ads and additional premium content. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid ★ Listen to 18 radio stations listed in TuneIn’s Taipei directory. TuneIn Taipei provides live access to stations featuring music, news, talk, public-service programming, and broadcasts in Mandarin and other languages spoken in Taiwan. TuneIn is free to use with ads, with an optional Premium subscription for additional content and fewer ads. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid ★ Listen to 20 stations currently listed in TuneIn’s Taiwan radio directory. TuneIn Taiwan provides live access to stations from across Taiwan featuring music, classical programming, news, and public-service broadcasts, with additional location pages for Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taichung, and Taipei. TuneIn is free to use with ads, with an optional Premium subscription offering additional content and fewer ads. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid
★ More than 200 radio stations from mainland China are included, along with stations from Chinese-speaking communities worldwide. US Chinese Radio 美國 中文電台 中文收音機 is a free, ad-supported radio app featuring stations from the United States, mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and other regions. It also offers podcast and on-demand listening, audio buffering, fast station switching, and an equalizer. Available on Android.
✓ U.S. Access | Free Android AppGlobal Music Streaming Platforms - ✓ U.S. Access
Amazon Music offers a large selection of Mandarin and other Chinese-language music, including popular artists, albums, and Mandopop playlists. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid
Apple Music offers a large selection of Mandarin and other Chinese-language music, including popular artists, albums, playlists, and curated Mandopop collections. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Paid
SoundCloud offers Chinese-language music from independent artists, DJs, and creators, making it a useful place to find tracks and mixes you may not encounter on mainstream streaming services. Search by artist, genre, or Chinese keywords to find new music. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid
Spotify offers a wide selection of Mandarin and other Chinese-language music, including popular artists, albums, playlists, and Mandopop collections. Its personalized recommendations can also help you find new Chinese artists and songs based on what you already enjoy. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | Free / Paid
YouTube is an excellent source for Chinese music, with official music videos, lyric videos, live performances, playlists, and artist channels. Videos with on-screen Chinese lyrics are especially useful for following along while you listen and picking up new vocabulary. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
✓ U.S. Access | FreeChina-Based Music Streaming Services — ⚠ VPN May Be Required
Many Chinese streaming platforms restrict access by region. A VPN (Virtual Private Network) can make it appear that you’re browsing from another location, which may help with some regional restrictions. Services limited specifically to mainland China may require a mainland China IP address.
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★ Extensive Chinese music library with Mandarin songs, playlists, charts, and new releases. KuGou Music is a Chinese music streaming platform offering a large selection of Mandarin and other Chinese-language music, along with curated playlists, charts, albums, artists, music videos, audiobooks, and live content. Many standard listening features are free, while VIP and music packages provide access to additional paid songs, higher-quality and lossless audio, downloads, and other premium features.
Limited U.S. Access / ⚠ VPN - Paid
★ A large Chinese music platform with songs, charts, playlists, MVs, and spoken-audio content. Kuwo Music (酷我音乐) is a Chinese streaming service with a large catalog of Mandarin and other music, regularly updated charts, curated playlists, music videos, and audio programs including audiobooks and crosstalk. Some music and features are available free, while paid VIP and music packages provide access to additional premium content and higher-quality audio.
Limited U.S. Access / ⚠ VPN - Free / Paid
★ Extensive Chinese-language music, playlists, podcasts, and active song-comment communities in one place. NetEase Cloud Music (网易云音乐) is a Chinese music streaming platform offering a large catalog of songs and albums, personalized recommendations, curated and user-created playlists, podcasts, music videos, and an active community built around song comments and music sharing. Much of the service is free to use, with paid VIP memberships available for additional music and listening features.
Limited U.S. Access / ⚠ VPN - Free / Paid
★ A huge Chinese music library with lyrics, playlists, charts, music videos, and personalized recommendations. QQ Music is Tencent’s music streaming service, offering Mandarin and other Chinese-language music alongside international releases, with free listening and optional paid VIP features such as expanded access and higher-quality audio. Available on the web. Although an app is listed in the Google Play store at the time of this post is was unreliable at best. Want to Listen to QQ Music Outside of China? See our Full QQ Music Tutorial HERE.
Limited U.S. Access / ⚠ VPN - Free / Paid