Chinese Songs // Famous Hits, Classics & Songs for Learners

The most iconic Chinese song of all time is 月亮代表我的心 (Yuèliàng dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn / ‘The Moon Represents My Heart’) by Teresa Teng.

Beyond that classic, this guide covers 12 essential Mandarin and Cantopop tracks, from Teresa Teng and Jay Chou to Faye Wong, Eason Chan, and viral hits like 小苹果 (Xiǎo píngguǒ), each rated for beginner-friendliness so you can learn Mandarin through music.

Chinese songs are one of the best tools for learning Mandarin, and if you want to go further, picking up singing and music vocabulary in Mandarin means you can actually talk about what you’re listening to.

Aside from the learning angle, there’s some genuinely great music out there you’ve probably never come across.

Most of the songs on this list live in the hearts of KTV regulars across Beijing, Taipei, Shanghai, and Singapore.

KTV is the name for karaoke across the Chinese-speaking world, usually sung in a private room booked by a group of friends. If you’ve ever stood in a KTV booth wondering what song to pick next, this list is your answer.

We’ve also rated each song for beginner-friendliness, so you know which ones to tackle first when you’re building your Mandarin vocabulary through music.

Grab a drink. There are some genuine classics here.

Table of Contents

Chinese Song #1 – Tiánmì mì (甜蜜蜜) – Teresa Teng

Chinese Song #2 – Xiǎo píngguǒ (小苹果) – Chopstick Brothers

Chinese Song #3 – Dāng (当) – Power Station

Chinese Song #4 – Wǒmen de ài (我们的爱) F.I.R

Chinese Song #5 – Tónghuà (童話) – Michael Wong

Chinese Song #6 – Yuèliàng dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn (月亮代表我的心) – Teresa Teng

Chinese Song #7 – Wěnbié (吻别) – Jacky Cheung

Chinese Song #8 – Wǒ yuànyì (我愿意) – Faye Wong

Chinese Song #9 – Dà yú (大鱼) – Zhou Shen

Chinese Song #10 – Gàobái qìqiú (告白气球) – Jay Chou

Chinese Song #11 – Shí nián (十年) – Eason Chan

Chinese Song #12 – Chénmò shì jīn (沉默是金) – Leslie Cheung

Best Selling Chinese Albums of ALL TIME

Chinese Song #1 – Tiánmì mì (甜蜜蜜) – Teresa Teng

This was actually one of the first Chinese songs I discovered and it was thanks to KTV (shock).

Karaoke with a mixture of Chinese and foreigners has the capability of bringing out a whole wealth of different tastes.

Where else would you go from Oasis > Xiao Pingguo > Kylie Minogue > Teresa Teng?

Teresa Teng is widely regarded as having one of the most beautiful voices in the history of Chinese music and hearing this song for the first time, the thing that struck me was how it united the whole room.

Singability at KTV: 甜蜜蜜 sits comfortably in a mid-range and doesn’t demand the high notes that catch people out. Most people can carry the melody, which is exactly why it works so well in a group setting. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ for beginners.

The room came together and within 3 or 4 listens I was hooked as well.

We’ll be bumping into Teresa once again later down the list with her most famous song of all, but this one held a soft spot and grabs our first spot.

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (very beginner-friendly, slow tempo, clear diction).

Sit back and enjoy

Chinese Song #2 – Xiǎo píngguǒ (小苹果) – Chopstick Brothers

From the downright beautiful to the downright bizarre. That’s Chinese music in a nutshell!

小苹果 (Xiǎo píngguǒ / ‘Little Apple’) shot to fame in 2014 and never looked back, becoming one of the most popular Chinese songs of the modern era. It is also the answer to the question ‘what is that viral Chinese meme song?’. The infectious chorus and deliberately bizarre music video made it a global meme, with parody versions filmed everywhere from office canteens to army barracks. If someone asks you about the famous Chinese meme song, this is the one they mean.

Its repetitive (albeit fast) nature makes the song a really good one to learn Chinese, and it’s also got that irritating toe-tapping ability meaning once you listen to it, it’s likely to be stuck in your head all day.

Whether that’s good or bad is down to you!!

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐ (fast chorus but highly repetitive, so easier to memorise).

The chopstick brothers (great name by the way) consist of the duo Wang Taili (王太利) and Xiao Yang (肖央). The song was actually originally made for the movie Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon before taking off online and making into KTV’s across the country, and further afield.

The video, put together with the song, creates something that is the complete opposite of our first entry, but hey, that’s Chinese music for you!

If you like what you hear, the chorus is very learnable. Here it is with pinyin and translation:

小苹果 chorus (pinyin):

Nǐ shì wǒ de xiǎo ya xiǎo píngguǒ
你是我的小呀小苹果
(‘You are my little apple’)

Zěnme ài nǐ dōu bù xián duō
怎么爱你都不嫌多
(‘No matter how much I love you, it’s never too much’)

TIP💡 Use these lines as a pronunciation drill. Tap out the tones on your desk as you sing. It sounds ridiculous but it works, and our teachers in Beijing swear by it.

Check it out and impress your Chinese friends at KTV by belting out this crowdpleaser!

Chinese Song #3 – Dāng (当) – Power Station

动力火车, which translates to Power Station, are a Taiwanese rock band who came to prominence in 1997. If their sound gets you hooked on the genre, we have a full guide to Chinese rock and indie bands worth exploring.

The band consists of Yu Chiu-hsin and Yen Chih-lin and their distinctive looks (long hair wasn’t a common sight on rock stages across Taipei and beyond in the 90s) combined with energetic rock ballads helped them shoot to the top.

Their debut album, 無情的情書 (Wúqíng de qíngshū / ‘Ruthless Love Letter’), came out in 1997, and in 2001 they released 忠孝東路走九遍 (Zhōngxiào dōng lù zǒu jiǔ biàn / ‘Walking Along Zhongxiao East Road Nine Times’), their first album on the Grand Music label.

当 (Dāng) became famous as the theme song to the TV drama My Fair Princess. Always a good way to get your name out there!

Power Station have won 3 star awards from 4 nominations between 1999 and 2015, including for that TV theme.

Good going 动力火车 🤘

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐ (intermediate). The ballad tempo is manageable but the rock phrasing can be tricky. Worth attempting once you’re comfortable with tones.

Chinese Song #4 – Wǒmen de ài (我们的爱) F.I.R

Another Taipei band steps up to the plate. F.I.R burst onto the scene in 2004 as a 3-piece act and built a following that stretches from Taipei KTV booths to karaoke bars in Singapore and Beijing.

Where does the name F.I.R come from?

Quite simple really. Take the first initial of each band member: Faye (lead vocals), Ian (keyboard) and Real (guitar and vocals).

我们的爱, meaning Our Love, is the band’s most famous song but they are far from just a one hit wonder.

Check out some of their other hit songs which include Lydia,” “你的微笑,” and “I Remember”.

For reference, that 2nd song there translates to your smile!

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (mid-tempo ballads with clear diction).

Chinese Song #5 – Tónghuà (童話) – Michael Wong

Tónghuà (which translates to fairytale) is the lead song and title track of Wong’s 3rd album, released on 21 January 2005.

Michael Wong (王光良) is of Chinese/Malaysian descent and became hugely popular in China due to his ability to reel off multiple, high-quality love songs over and over.

Love songs are hugely popular in China FYI.

It was this 3rd album that really made him a star.

Before 2000, Wong began his singing career in a duo with Victor Wong, however, they went their own ways and thus began the start of something special.

Wong has proved his ability on the acting scene too, with appearances in Chinese dramas, and he built a devoted following from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei, Hong Kong and Beijing.

Lucky chap, hats off to you Mr Wong, here’s one of his many classics for you to enjoy…

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (clear pronunciation, romantic ballad pacing).

Chinese Song #6 – Yuèliàng dàibiǎo wǒ de xīn (月亮代表我的心) – Teresa Teng

Quite possibly the most famous Chinese song of all time…

Our friend Teresa is back again and this one exceeds her first entry, in terms of all round popularity, if online numbers were defining.

The Moon Represents My Heart is an all time Chinese classic.

The song was released in 1977 by Teng, who was actually born in Taiwan.

Sadly, Teng passed away due to an asthma attack in 1995 but her legacy lives on and her music is heard all over Asia every day in or out of KTV!

According to The New York Times, it is one of the best-known Chinese pop songs of all time

Singability at KTV: the melody sits in a comfortable mid-range that suits most vocal ranges. This is why it’s still the go-to closer at KTV nights across Beijing, Taipei, and Singapore.

You may no longer be with us, Teresa, but thanks for the memories…

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Chinese Song #7 – Wěnbié (吻别) – Jacky Cheung

We head back to 1993 for the 7th song on our greatest Chinese songs list.

Wěnbié (吻别) is actually the name of Jacky Cheung’s 5th album, with the first track of the album taking the same name (goodbye kiss in English).

The 10 track album enjoyed huge success, as Wikipedia illustrates here:

“The album sold over 5 million copies in 1993 throughout Asia, including 1,360,000 copies in Taiwan alone. It still holds the record as Taiwan’s second greatest selling album”

Reference here

The sign of a top-class track can sometimes be defined by who covers it and how often, and this one has earned glowing tributes from Asian superstars including Jay Chou, Anson Hu and Justin Lo.

Compliments continue to flow for the Hong Kong native which include:

• Nicknamed – THE GOD OF SONGS
• Received the Honour of Golden Song 35th Anniversary Award in 2012
• Received the Best-Selling Asian Artist in 1995 and 1996
• Won a Golden Horse Award for Best Supporting Actor his role in the 1990 film The Swordsman.

Yes, he’s an actor too! Here’s his title track to that 5th album.

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐ (some high notes required, best for intermediate learners).

Chinese Song #8 – Wǒ yuànyì (我愿意) – Faye Wong

“The Diva” as she is referred to in China. Step up, Faye Wong, Beijing born, before moving to Hong Kong in 1987.

Wong is adored throughout Asia and in truth, picking one song from her long repertoire is quite the challenge.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Wong and her school had to hide her strong singing abilities from her mum. Let’s say she was on the strict side! Wong’s mum saw singing as a dead-end career.

Lucky they hid it, and hid it well because Wong was to take not just China, but Asia by storm.

Wong has released songs in Mandarin, Cantonese and English.

Believe it or not, Faye Wong turned down a 3,000,000 Yuan payday to perform in her hometown of Beijing, for the 2008 Olympic Opening Ceremony. This was at the time of her hiatus from performing.

The song we use here is called “I’m willing” in English and was the top hit from her album Mystery.

If you want a gentler second pick, try 红豆 (Hóngdòu / ‘Red Bean’) from 1998. It’s slow, soft and nostalgic, and red beans are a classic Chinese symbol of longing, so even the title teaches you a little culture.

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐ (Faye’s phrasing is airy and stretches vowels, which can make individual words harder to pick out).

LIKE WHAT YOU HEAR? Check out our five favourite Faye Wong songs in this blog.

Chinese Song #9 – Dà yú (大鱼) – Zhou Shen

Zhou Shen was born after some of the above songs were released!

Zhou Shen was born in 1992 with his most popular song, Big Fish, released in 2016.

Big Fish (the soundtrack to the program Big Fish and the Begonia) made it into the Top 10 Hits Songs of Fresh Asia Music Award in 2016, alongside another song of his also called The Rose and The Deer.

Zhou is blessed with a unique, female-like voice which actually led to him being too embarrassed to perform in front of people at a younger age.

High praise has come from many, including Gao Xiaosong who stated the following:

“Zhou’s voice is ethereal and intangible, like mountain spring that refresh people’s mind. Zhou’s unique angelic voice is something of a rarity in Chinese Music.”

Zhou has also received international acclaim, winning the Best Greater China Act at the MTV Europe awards in 2019.

If music is your thing, check whether Zhou has concert dates coming up in your city. His live shows sell out fast, but they’re worth the effort!

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐ (high notes required, better as a listening exercise than a KTV attempt).

Chinese Song #10 – Gàobái qìqiú (告白气球) – Jay Chou

For anyone with even a smidgen of knowledge of Chinese music, you’ll probably be shocked it’s taken until this far to mention the name Jay Chou.

For those of you with zero knowledge of Chinese music this name will probably be unfamiliar. Not anymore.

Jay Chou (周杰伦 Zhōu Jiélún), from Taipei, is probably the biggest name in Chinese music since the turn of the millennium, and fans and media widely call him the King of Mandopop.

Mandopop, short for Mandarin popular music, has its roots in 1930s Shanghai and today is centred on cities like Taipei, Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. Alongside Jay, the big names of the 2000s include Wang Leehom (王力宏), David Tao (陶喆) and the girl group S.H.E, while stars like JJ Lin and G.E.M. (see our bonus picks below) carry it today.

His discography and popularity is so incredibly broad that perhaps one song doesn’t do him any justice at all.

Like many of the artists mentioned above, Jay doesn’t just specialise in Music, oh no. His CV boasts…

Musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, film producer, actor, and director

Not giving anyone else a chance eh, Jay!

The turn of the new millennium prompted Chou to release his very first album simply titled Jay (2000) at the age of 21.

He’s enjoyed success throughout Asia but perhaps more significantly compared to some of the above, Chou has broken through into the US and Australia, in the Asian communities at least. No mean feat.

His list of gongs in music and film are lengthy, so take our word for it, you are dealing with a superstar here!

To prove this furthermore, Chou had the “honour” of “breaking the Internet” in 2019 when his release broke sales records with his single, “Won’t Cry” which was downloaded more than eight million times.

WOW!

告白气球 (Gàobái qìqiú) is called Love Confession in English and is from the album Jay Chou’s Bedtime Stories and comes from his 14th album, released in 2016.

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (one of Jay’s clearer tracks, good for HSK 2-3 level).

Chinese Song #11 – Shí nián (十年) – Eason Chan

To give you an idea of the popularity of Eason Chan, he was ranked number 6 in the 2013 Forbes China Celebrity Top 100 List.

In a country of 1.4 billion others, that’s not half bad!

Chan, descending from Hong Kong has been active since 1995 and enjoys his acting roles as much as getting up on stage to belt out some of his classics.

His net worth is reported to exceed 100 million Hong Kong Dollars (roughly US$12.8 million) and he is another on the list with a plethora of awards and gongs to his name.

In 2018, Chan was named Best Mandarin Male Singer for the third time.

Let’s enjoy our favourite Chan song below, 十年 (Shí nián), called Ten Years in English.

If you’re heading to KTV, learn K歌之王 (K gē zhī wáng / ‘King of Karaoke’) too. The title says it all: it’s one of the most requested Eason songs in KTV booths from Hong Kong to Beijing. It comes in both Cantonese and Mandarin versions, so pick the Mandarin one if you’re practising.

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (slow tempo, emotionally clear, one of the most-sung tracks at KTV).

Chinese Song #12 – Chénmò shì jīn (沉默是金) – Leslie Cheung

Sadly Leslie Cheung is no longer with us, but he left quite the legacy, including this Canto-Classic – “Silence is Golden”

Cheung, Hong Kong-Canadian, is widely regarded as “one of the founding fathers of Cantopop” (meaning Cantonese Pop).

Cheung proved he could mix not just with Asian heavyweights, but worldwide ones as well, which was illustrated by CNN, who voted him 3rd in the “Most Iconic Musicians of All Time” back in 2010.

He also enjoyed huge success on TV as much as with his music and debuted in 1977 before announcing his retirement from pop music in 1989. He would return to the music industry just 5 years later however.

Incredibly, to this day Cheung is the only foreign artist ever to hold 16 concerts in Japan, proving his popularity was far more than just in Hong Kong/China

His incredible legacy came to a hugely sad end for millions of fans in 2003. He was diagnosed with depression and on April 1st 2003, he jumped off the 24th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong.

Below is a live performance of Silence is Golden from 1988, just before his brief hiatus from music, with Roman Tam.

Beginner-friendly: ⭐⭐ (Cantonese, not Mandarin, so best treated as a cultural listen rather than a Mandarin study track).

8 More Chinese Songs Worth Your Time

We couldn’t stop at 12. Here are eight more artists our teachers and students keep coming back to, from KTV anthems to modern heartbreak hits.

Eric Chou (周興哲) – 你好不好 (Nǐ hǎo bù hǎo)

Eric Chou is one of the biggest Mandopop voices of his generation. 你好不好 (‘Are You Okay?’) is a heartbreak ballad with slow, clear diction, perfect for intermediate learners. The chorus is beginner-friendly and a KTV crowd-pleaser.

Hebe Tien (田馥甄) – 小幸运 (Xiǎo xìngyùn)

小幸运 (‘A Little Happiness’) became a phenomenon after featuring in the 2015 film Our Times. Hebe’s clear enunciation makes it one of the best songs for picking out individual Mandarin words. Beginner-friendly ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

WeiBird (韋禮安) – 如果可以 (Rúguǒ kěyǐ)

WeiBird’s falsetto and stripped-back production make 如果可以 (‘If I Could’) easier to follow lyrically than most Mandopop. Good for learners at HSK 3 level and above.

If you’re after relaxing acoustic Chinese songs, his guitar- and piano-led tracks are a great place to start, alongside Hebe Tien’s 小幸运 above and Faye Wong’s 红豆. Find more in our guide to WeiBird lyrics and top hits.

René Liu (劉若英) – 后来 (Hòulái)

后来 (‘Later’) is one of the most-covered songs at KTV across the whole Mandarin-speaking world. The tempo is slow, the vocabulary is accessible, and the emotion hits hard every time. A classic.

JJ Lin (林俊杰) – 修炼爱情 (Xiūliàn àiqíng)

JJ Lin is one of the great ballad voices in Mandopop, and his songs are known for emotional, soaring vocals. 修炼爱情 (‘Practice Love’) is a slow heartbreak ballad that works well for listening practice. Beginner-friendly ⭐⭐⭐.

G.E.M. (邓紫棋) – 光年之外 (Guāngnián zhī wài)

G.E.M. is known for powerful vocals and a dramatic, cinematic sound, and 光年之外 (‘Light Years Away’) is the perfect showcase. It’s a great modern pick once you’ve worked through the classics, but it’s better as a listening exercise than a KTV attempt. Beginner-friendly ⭐⭐.

Joker Xue (薛之谦) – 演员 (Yǎnyuán)

演员 (‘Actor’) is an emotional song about love and pretending, and a big modern favourite. The pace is slow and the language is conversational, so it’s a good bridge from textbook Mandarin to the way people really talk about feelings. Beginner-friendly ⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Emil Chau (周华健) – 朋友 (Péngyou)

朋友 (‘Friends’) is a simple, singable classic that suits learners well. The title word is everyday vocabulary you’ll use from your first week, and the melody is easy to follow, which makes it a natural KTV pick for a group. Beginner-friendly ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.

Learn Mandarin Vocabulary from Chinese Song Titles

Song titles are a quick win for learners. They’re short, you’ll hear them sung again and again, and many use everyday words. Here are the key words from the titles on this list.

TIP💡 Learn the title before you press play. Once you know 月亮 and 心, you’ll catch them every time they come round in the chorus.

What is the Most Popular Chinese Song Right Now?

Trending Mandarin pop moves fast 🎵. Years after release, Jay Chou’s back catalogue (particularly 告白气球 / Gàobái qìqiú) is still a streaming staple, and ballad singers such as Eric Chou (周興哲) and Hebe Tien (田馥甄) are among the most-streamed Mandopop artists on Spotify.

In China, the biggest music apps are Tencent Music’s Kugou Music and QQ Music, followed by ByteDance’s Soda Music (汽水音乐 / Qìshuǐ yīnyuè) and NetEase Cloud Music (网易云音乐). Soda Music is connected to Douyin (抖音 / Dǒuyīn), TikTok’s Chinese sister app, which is why so many recent hits break through on short videos first.

That is exactly what happened with 跳楼机 (Tiàolóujī / ‘Jumping Machine’) by LBI 利比. Released in November 2024, it took off on Douyin in early 2025, topped the big Chinese streaming charts and spread from Hong Kong and Taipei to Southeast Asia. A 跳楼机 is a drop tower fairground ride, a metaphor for a relationship that sends you soaring and then crashing down.

If you’re thinking of a Chinese song that went viral on TikTok outside China, it is probably 一剪梅 (Yì jiǎn méi / ‘A Spray of Plum Blossoms’) by Fei Yu-ching (费玉清), which became a global meme in 2020 under the nickname ‘Xue Hua Piao Piao’. For the original Chinese meme song, scroll back up to 小苹果.

For a constantly updated picture, search ‘华语歌曲排行榜’ (Huáyǔ gēqǔ páiháng bǎng / ‘Chinese song chart’) on QQ Music, Kugou or NetEase Cloud Music.

Outside China, Spotify and YouTube are the easiest places to listen. Search ‘Mandopop’ or 华语 (Huáyǔ, ‘Chinese-language’) to find curated playlists, and you’ll find official music videos on YouTube for almost every song on this list. In Taipei, KKBOX is the local favourite.

TIP💡 Build your own study playlist from the songs in this article, then switch on the lyrics view in your app so you can follow the characters as you listen.

Fun Facts About Chinese Music

Chinese music is pretty different to what you might be used to, and for some people it takes time to understand and get your head around what makes the Chinese tick.

Here are some fun facts about Chinese music you probably never knew:

1. The Chinese categorise music into different age groups like the post 90s, post 80s etc.
2. There are actually a number of KTV (karaoke) specific apps in which the user can download them, sing and record whilst also sharing your voice with your friends, family and also fans via social media! So China!
3. The 2nd song on our list 小苹果 actually became a very popular song for outdoor dancing with the older generation of Chinese.

Best Selling Chinese Albums of ALL TIME

So we’ve given you a rundown of some of China’s most famous songs and their respective artists, but who holds the gong for best-selling Chinese album of all time?

We’ll break it down into two lists. Digital Sales and Physical Sales.

Top Selling Chinese Albums of ALL TIME – Physical Sales

Check out 5th position there, Titanic, an absolute monster in the Chinese music market! Who knew…

Interesting fact relating to the first position here (unsurprisingly held by Jay Chou).

The number of physical albums purchased is 2.6 millions sales, which, if listed in the Digital charts to follow would land in 9th place.

Speaking of which…

Top Selling Chinese Albums of ALL TIME – Digital Sales

Yes, yes we know we most likely missed out your favourite song!

There are just so many… China is not a small country by any stretch of the imagination!

What is your favourite Chinese song? Do you have a favourite type of Chinese music or Chinese artist/band?

Comment below with your top choices and we will update this blog with our favourite choices as we go along!

WANT MORE? – Check out the Chengdu music scene and discover China’s best Rock/Indie/Alt bands.

If you want to dig even deeper, we’ve also written an article on the top Vietnamese songs to learn Vietnamese and our favourite kpop songs to learn Korean! Oh yea, we really do cover it all!

Chinese Songs // Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Go Beyond the Songs? 🎶

Learning Mandarin through music is a great start, but nothing accelerates progress like immersive study with native-speaker teachers in a city where Chinese is the air you breathe.

Our students in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei, and Singapore hear these songs everywhere, in taxis, cafés, and yes, at KTV, and that constant exposure makes the vocabulary stick fast.

Find your perfect Mandarin program and see how quickly the music starts to make sense.