The Shadowless Tower

I’m still catching up on many of the movies I missed last year, and this week, I watched The Shadowless Tower (白塔之光). This one stood out to me because a huge part of it was filmed in the neighborhood where I used to live in Beijing.

If you’re curious about that area, you can check out one of my earlier newsletters about the hutongs.

While the movie can feel slow at times—and I doubt it’ll end up on many people’s favorites list—I still found it to be a really accurate depiction of life in modern Beijing. If you’re wondering what Beijing looks like in the 2020s, or if you’ve ever lived in or visited the hutongs and want to feel nostalgic, this movie more than delivers. Plus, it’s a great chance to hear some clear, standard Mandarin. Most of the characters speak in a way that’s easier to understand compared to a lot of other films, which makes it a solid choice for Chinese learners.

To make learning even easier, I’ve put together flashcards with some of the key words and phrases from the movie. Feel free to check them out below or on my Quizlet page!

Do you want more help with learning Chinese? Check out my private online classes:

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