Mandarin Monkey Podcast

In this episode, Ula sits down with new Mandarin Monkey teacher Yating for a fun first conversation together.

They discuss the kinds of questions Taiwanese people always ask when meeting someone new, including where you’re from, your star sign, and whether you’re an I person or a J person. The conversation also explores life abroad, cultural differences between Taiwan, the UK, and Sweden, and the small daily habits that become surprisingly emotional when living overseas.

Topics include:

• Taiwanese social culture
• Astrology and personality types in Taiwan
• Introvert vs extrovert (I vs E)
• Planning personalities (J vs P)
• Shoes inside the house
• Food hygiene differences
• Public changing rooms in Sweden
• 
  

A relaxed and natural Mandarin conversation for learners who enjoy culture, personality discussions, and everyday life topics.

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We’re back on another Friday walk, this time heading to buy pizza for the kids before their disco.

Along the way we talk about rats, squirrels, Dungeons & Dragons, steak names in Mandarin, private and public schools, and the differences between education in Taiwan and the UK.

We also discuss how children discover their interests, whether schools should focus more on individual passions, and what parents can do to support their kids’ happiness and future choices.

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In episode 463, we take the podcast outside again for a relaxed walk around our local area. We chat in Mandarin and English about spring weather, birds, nettles, dandelions, dog poo bags, new housing developments, finding a £2 coin, and spotting a rat in the bushes.

We also talk about our upcoming camping trip to the Cotswolds, bank holiday weather, funny local pub experiences, and some of our recent Mandarin Monkey short videos — including GATAO and Sherlock.

A casual bilingual walking episode for Mandarin learners who enjoy real conversation, natural listening practice, and a little bit of chaos.

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So we decided to go out for a walk today while doing the podcast. Makes a change to the usual studio based Mandarin and English conversation. Enjoy.

www.mandarinmonkey.com

Email: [email protected]

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Welcome back to the Mandarin Monkey Podcast episode 461.

This week, we dive into a big idea: what if we hosted a Mandarin Monkey live immersion event in the UK?

We talk through what that could look like — a full day of Chinese-speaking activities, games, food, and socialising — designed to feel fun, relaxed, and genuinely immersive, not like a traditional classroom.

Along the way, we also chat about:

• how realistic a one-day Mandarin immersion event actually is
• the challenges of organising venues, logistics, and activities
• ideas for games, karaoke, VR, food tasting, and interactive learning
• how AI is becoming part of daily life, work, and creativity
• what it’s like talking to AI (and when it gets a bit weird…)
• why different AI voices and personalities feel so different
• new teachers joining Mandarin Monkey
• plans to improve our booking system and website

This episode is a mix of brainstorming, behind-the-scenes, and everyday life, as we figure things out in real time.

If you’d be interested in joining a Mandarin Monkey live event, let us know.

Thanks for listening.

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Welcome back to the Mandarin Monkey Podcast episode 460.

In this episode, we talk about the reaction to our “goodbye” joke and the unexpected wave of love that came from it. It was a warm reminder that even when content feels lonely to make, there are real people out there listening.

We also get into:

• why long-form content still matters to us
• how short-form is changing attention spans
• ideas for future Mandarin Monkey episodes
• board games, walking podcasts, and trying new formats
• being ranked as one of the world’s Mandarin learning podcasts
• the reality of balancing Mandarin Monkey with work, life, and everything else going on behind the scenes

This episode is a bit of a catch-up, a bit reflective, and very much us.

Thanks for sticking with us.

If you enjoy learning Mandarin through real conversations, hit subscribe and come along for the ride.

#MandarinMonkey #LearnMandarin #ChinesePodcast #MandarinPodcast #BilingualPodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So this is it. The final mailbag episode. It was fun while it lasted.

If you have any interesting stories or emails, email them in to:

[email protected]

and we will read them out.

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We started planning a simple trip to Lapland…

and somehow ended up booking reindeer rides, elf school, glass igloos, and possibly bankruptcy.

In this episode, we talk (and argue) through planning a family trip to Lapland, what we actually want to do vs what we can afford, and how quickly “just a few activities” turns into chaos.

Along the way, you’ll hear natural Mandarin and English conversation, real-life vocab, and how we actually think through decisions as a bilingual couple.

Also in this episode:

– Should podcasts feel like a conversation or a show?

– Why talking to the audience vs each other changes everything

– Christmas in Lapland… is anything even open?

– The reality of planning travel with kids

– Wholesome news (with Mandarin vocab you can actually use)

If you’re learning Mandarin, this is how it really sounds in real life. No scripts. No slow talk. Just conversation.

Key Mandarin you’ll hear:

– 募款活動 (fundraising activity)

– 太陽能板 (solar panels)

– 星星 / 天文學家 (stars / astronomers)

If you’ve ever been to Lapland, drop a comment.

Tell us what’s actually worth doing… and what’s a waste of money.

—

Listen, learn, and just enjoy the chaos.

New episodes every week.

Follow for more real Mandarin.

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Welcome back to Mandarin Monkey Podcast Episode 456.

This one’s a proper listener mailbag episode.

We read your emails and end up talking about all sorts: learning Mandarin on a tractor in rural Iowa, a workplace misunderstanding about saving face, the chaos of Taiwan Ghost Month, whether the third tone is designed to ruin lives, typing Chinese on a Mac, and one very wholesome story about using Mandarin to ask for a father’s blessing.

As usual, Tom speaks English, Ula speaks Mandarin, and somewhere in the middle we all try to make sense of life, language, and cultural confusion.

In this episode:

• real stories from Mandarin Monkey listeners around the world
• Taiwan Ghost Month taboos and superstitions
• saving face in Chinese and Taiwanese culture
• learning Mandarin through real conversation
• Mandarin tones, typing Chinese, and bilingual family life
• why this community is a lot bigger than either of us expected

If you're learning Mandarin Chinese, interested in Taiwanese culture, or just enjoy chaotic bilingual conversations, you’re in the right place.

Send us your stories, questions, wins, disasters, cultural confusion, and Mandarin struggles. We need more for future mailbags.

Write in and be part of the next episode.

#LearnMandarin #MandarinChinese #TaiwanCulture #ChineseListeningPractice #BilingualPodcast #MandarinMonkey #LearnChinese #GhostMonth #SavingFace #Taiwan

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