Chinese Uncovered
A beginner Chinese course built around a story you won't want to put down, so you finally understand native speakers and hold a real conversation.
Even if every app and class has left you stuck, and you think you're just not a language person.
Then a one-time payment, not a subscription.
From The City of Lost and Found, the story at the heart of the course.
From the desk of
Olly Richards
Creator of StoryLearning · Author of the bestselling Short Stories series (2 million+ books sold)
Can I be honest with you?
I've learned 8 languages. And I've failed at most of them, spectacularly, before figuring out what works.
So I know exactly what you're going through right now.
You downloaded the app. You did the daily streak. You memorised 你好 (nǐ hǎo), 谢谢 (xièxie), 是 (shì). You even took a class or two.
And for a while, it felt like progress.
But then you tried to actually use your Chinese, with a real person, at real speed, and the whole thing fell apart.
I've been there. Staring at someone, nodding politely, pretending I understood. It's not fun.
But here's the thing I wish someone had told me years ago:
There's a reason you're still stuck. And it has nothing to do with talent, age, or how many hours you've studied.
It has everything to do with how you've been learning.
Let me show you what I discovered instead.
加油,
Olly Richards
Creator of StoryLearning
Inside one chapter
From the first time you press play to the moment it all clicks.
The Story
"李明走进了一家小咖啡馆。他看了看四周，找了一个靠窗的位置坐下..."
You won't understand the words, not yet. But you hear the rhythm of the language, the rise and fall of the tones, the flow of a real story being told. You follow along, hearing the words while the characters and pinyin appear on screen.
And something about it makes you curious. That's the feeling.
Script
This is the part most people dread, and the part our students love most. Chinese characters aren't random symbols. They started as pictures. 人 (rén) means "person", and it looks like a person walking. 大 means "big", a person with arms stretched wide. 木 is "tree", 林 is "forest" (two trees), and 森 is "dense forest" (three trees).
Each chapter introduces new characters connected to the story you're reading. You learn to recognise them, read them, and write them, building from the simplest strokes to real sentences. Once you see the logic, characters stop being mysterious and start making sense.
This is the moment students say: "Wait, I can actually read this."
Grammar
Meet Maggie, your Chinese teacher. Take a line from the story: 你好，我叫大卫，是新学生 (Nǐ hǎo, wǒ jiào dà wèi, shì xīn xué shēng). Maggie walks you through it, 是 (shì) means "is/am/are", one word covers all of them. No conjugation. No verb tables.
No grammar tables. No abstract rules. Just real sentences from the story you just read, pulled apart so you can see how they fit together. You learn grammar naturally, using words you've already met in the story, not by memorising rules.
7 days free. Cancel anytime.
Pronunciation
Chinese is tonal, four tones plus a neutral tone. Maggie teaches you to hear and produce each tone, master the initials and finals, and feel the rhythm of natural speech. Not robotic textbook drilling, the real sound and flow of spoken Chinese as Chinese people actually speak it.
Culture
Chinese culture: thousands of years of history, calligraphy, tea ceremonies, festival traditions, and the balance of old and new in modern China. Because you can't truly speak a language without understanding the people who speak it.
The Payoff
You listen again. And this time, sentences that were opaque at the start of the chapter suddenly make sense.
You can hear where one word ends and another begins. You understand why the characters said what they said. You're not translating, you're understanding.
And just like that, you've started reading Chinese characters, understanding grammar, and hearing the tones of the language.
Every chapter, the same rhythm
This is what learning through stories looks like.
The magic of StoryLearning is what makes words unforgettable, chapter after chapter, all twenty of them. It's the last Chinese course you'll ever need.
Everything you just saw is in your 7-day free trial. Full access to the entire course: story, videos, exercises, the lot.
A personal tour
Watch Olly give you a personal tour of Chinese Uncovered:
Real students, real progress
Nisha G. NairIndia"I believe regular consistency with StoryLearning has got me to lower intermediate (A2/B1) in 3 months, which other courses could not do in 2.5 years."
PamHouston, TX"I've learned so much in the last 4 weeks than in the last 4 years of learning on my own. I am actually understanding native speakers!"
Gigi GilmourStudent"I believe the StoryLearning course is equivalent to two semesters at a university. The quality of the material is at a university level."
The StoryLearning Method
Stories aren't just entertainment. They're the oldest learning technology we have.
Stories came first. They still work best.
Stories are how you learned your native language.
Nobody handed you a grammar table when you were two. You learned through immersion, through context, through stories told to you by your family and friends. Stories that held meaning and made you care what happened next.
That's exactly what StoryLearning does. Here's the science behind why it works so well.
Dual Coding
You don't sit through a story, you live it. Learn through narrative and your brain encodes more deeply, forms stronger memories, and recalls far more than it ever does from a list.
The scienceDual Coding Theory shows memory is strongest when you encode information both verbally and through imagery. Stories create vivid mental pictures, which is why you remember story words but forget flashcard words.
Context
You don't remember random words. You remember the moment the detective found the note, the look on Li Ming's face when he heard the news. Words attached to a story stick, because they mean something.
The scienceContextual Learning Research consistently shows that words learned in meaningful context are retained two to three times longer than words learned in isolation. Every word in StoryLearning arrives with a scene, a character, and a reason to care.
Comprehensible Input
Instead of handing you a rule to apply, StoryLearning lets you meet a pattern naturally, then shows you what you just discovered. You work it out, so you own it. That is why you never forget it.
The scienceDr. Stephen Krashen, Professor Emeritus at USC and one of the most cited linguists in history, proved that language is acquired through comprehensible input, understanding messages in the target language, not through grammar study. StoryLearning is built on this principle.
And the experts agree
"Olly's top-notch language-learning insights are right in line with the best of what we know from neuroscience and cognitive psychology about how to learn effectively. I love his work, and you will too!"
You have options. Here is how Chinese Uncovered compares with the usual ways people try, and keep failing, to learn Chinese.
| Language apps | Evening classes | Private tutor | Best fit for you Chinese Uncovered | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Understand real native speech | ✗ | ~ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Learn words in context, not lists | ✗ | ~ | ~ | ✓ |
| Go at your own pace, any time | ✓ | ✗ | ~ | ✓ |
| Driven by a story you actually enjoy | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| One payment, no monthly or hourly fees | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
Who you'll learn from
Your StoryLearning creator
I'm Olly Richards. I've spent my life working out how people actually learn languages, and StoryLearning is the result: the method behind Chinese Uncovered and my bestselling Short Stories series.
It has helped over 100,000 learners across our courses. For Chinese, I brought in someone special to teach you.
Your Chinese teacher
Maggie is the teacher you'll spend 60+ video lessons with, and her clear, patient teaching style makes even the trickiest concepts feel approachable. A professional Chinese teacher with over 10 years of experience, she holds a degree in Chinese Education from the University of Hong Kong and a Master's in Language and Cultural Diversity from King's College London.
She has a particular gift for exploring cultural diversity through language learning, so you won't just learn Chinese, you'll understand the world it comes from.
StoryLearning isn't for everyone, and that's by design. Here's how to know.
This is for you if
It's probably not for you if
Where this leads
Picture yourself ordering in a tea house and being understood the first time. Following a Chinese film without reaching for the subtitles. Reading real characters for the pleasure of it, not as homework.
That is the other side of this. Not perfect, not overnight, but real. And far closer than years of apps ever got you.
A few words from the 10,000+ people now learning Chinese with StoryLearning.
"Amazing. I started learning Zhōngwén with Rosetta Stone and Coffee Break Chinese, but this program is both fun and comprehensive. I especially like the Quizlets for each lesson. Thank you"
"Excellent course! The teacher explains very clearly all the concepts. It's a pleasure to listen to her. I really enjoyed the course. Now continuing with Level 2 and hoping there will be a Chinese intermediate course in the near future! Thx"
"The best language course I have ever purchased! I have tried everything to better my speaking skills but nothing sticks like StoryLearning. Simple to understand, fun, motivating, and encouraging!"
"I believe the StoryLearning course is equivalent to two semesters at a university. The quality of the material is at a university level. The lessons are a lot more fun than sitting in a lecture hall."
"I love the way we can learn things that are in the context of a story, and remember it because of the story. This is beyond my expectations."
"I can't even begin to describe how much this course has changed my life. In 2 months, I have learned more than in all 4 years I took in HS and college. I am actually understanding native speakers! Thank you Olly Richards!"
"This course is by far the best I've ever come across. As an ex English Language Teacher, I have very high expectations & this course exceeds these. The story-based approach makes all the difference, I'm actually reading and understanding the language."
"I've tried a lot of courses and methods over the years. This is the first course that really helped me to comprehend the language. The story pulls you in, and the grammar suddenly makes sense in context."
"This program changed the way I learn languages. In school, I struggled to understand or speak. Now I'm naturally learning vocab, grammar, reading, writing, listening, & speaking in a super fun way. Highly recommend."
"I always wanted to learn a new language but traditional textbooks were so dry and boring. Within just 2 months, I find myself actually reading and understanding real texts. This course surprised me. Thank you Olly."
"Very impressed so far! Olly explains and breaks down the rules of the language so well, with lots to learn right from the start. I have learnt more in 1 module than in months of free apps!"
"If you tell me a good story, I'll follow you anywhere. What better way to learn a language than through asking what happens next? This is a challenging, well-designed course that never bored me. And I learned a great deal."
The story at the heart of it
The City of Lost and Found. A young photographer named Li Ming travels across China, from the narrow lanes of old Beijing to misty mountain villages in Yunnan, searching for the subject of his next exhibition.
Along the way he meets unexpected people, uncovers family stories, and discovers that the journey itself is the real destination. The story pulls you deeper into the language with every chapter, and the Chinese comes with you.
The same student, real text from the course. Watch how much more you understand as the story unfolds.
"李明走进了一家小咖啡馆。他看了看四周，找了一个靠窗的位置坐下..."
Li Ming walked into a small café. He looked around... You understand this almost immediately, the context and pinyin guide you.
"火车穿过了长长的隧道。窗外的风景变了..."
The train passed through a long tunnel. The scenery outside changed... You didn't study that sentence. You just... understand it.
"李明站在山顶，看着下面的村庄..."
Li Ming stood at the mountaintop, looking at the village below... Longer sentences, richer vocabulary, but you follow it, because the story carried you there.
One payment, lifetime access
20chaptersEvery chapter with complete native Chinese audio throughout.
60+videosGrammar, vocabulary, characters and culture, all taught in the context of the story.
Plus everything that helps it stick
All of it is yours the moment you join, and free for your first 7 days.
No payment today, and no catch. Here is exactly how your free week works.
You're in. The entire course unlocks, the story, all 60+ videos, every exercise, with nothing charged to your card.
Try it for real. Start the story and meet Maggie, and find out whether this is finally the method that clicks for you.
Decide with zero pressure. Most people know by now. If it's working, simply carry on, there's nothing you need to do.
Changed your mind? Cancel in one click before the week ends and pay nothing. No forms, no awkward emails.
Seven days to be sure. The only thing you risk is staying stuck.
No payment today. Take the whole course for a free week, and you're covered by a full-year guarantee after that.
I'm confident Chinese Uncovered will work for you. But I also know that confidence comes from experience, not promises.
So here's my guarantee: Try the course. Work through the chapters. If at any point in the next 365 days you decide it's not for you, email us and we'll refund every penny. No questions. No awkwardness. No hassle.
You have a full year to decide. That's how confident I am that you'll love learning this way.
Olly Richards
A private Chinese tutor runs $50 or more an hour. A year of evening classes runs into the hundreds. Chinese Uncovered is a single payment, and your first week is free.
Lifetime access, one payment
$397$297
Less than $1 a day over a year, and equivalent to two university semesters.
Start with a 7-day free trial. Full access. Cancel anytime.
Start now and you could read your first Chinese story today.
"The best language course I have ever purchased. Nothing sticks like StoryLearning."
A few things people often ask before starting their free trial.
One decision left
You've read this far. That tells me something.
It tells me you haven't given up on Chinese. That somewhere, underneath the frustration of apps that don't work and classes that didn't stick, there's a part of you that still believes you can do this.
You can.
The spark you feel right now, the one that made you read this page. It fades. Not today, maybe not tomorrow. But it fades.
Start the trial while it's still here.
7-day free trial. 365-day guarantee. Nothing to lose, except the momentum you've built today.
Your future, Chinese-speaking self will thank you for it.
Olly Richards
Creator of StoryLearning
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