Lately I`ve been listening to this French hip-hop producer who made an album called "Chinoiseries". It`s a bunch of instrumentals that sample mostly, though not exclusively, old Chinese songs. For anyone who likes hip-hop and traditional Chinese music, it`s really a one-of-a-kind album, and a perfect synthesis of east and west, old and new, if you will.

Anyways, let`s get to the point.

A couple of them have some Mandarin thrown in, and it makes for a good listening comprehension challenge. Unlike Chinese pop songs, you won`t find the lyrics on the internet, so you`ll have to rely entirely on your ears!

I`ll give you guys a link to two of his tracks. The first one is called "The anthem", and it`s probably more suited to advanced learners (even my Chinese friend had to have a few listens before understanding what was being said!)

The second link is to a track called "Where`s my longan?", and is probably suited for elementary and intermediate learners. The only Mandarin you`ll hear is in the first 20 seconds.

"The Anthem"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJBI4ckmB2M

"Where`s my longan?"

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFbO4tk6HEs

Give them a listen and see if you can figure out what they`re saying! And if you can`t, don`t worry and just enjoy the music ;)

PS: Since even my friend 圆圆 couldn`t make out the words in "The Anthem" all that easily, I extend the challenge the popup Chinese crew! Echo, David, Brendan, let`s see what you`ve got! :)