Unlike European languages like Spanish or French, where the differences between dialects are relatively small and you can learn any variety, what are commonly referred to as “dialects” in Chinese are in fact completely different languages!

So if you want to learn Cantonese as spoken in Hong Kong or Taiwanese as spoken in Taiwan, this course is NOT for you.

However, if you want to learn the most widely spoken and recognised variety of Chinese, you’re in the right place! In Chinese Uncovered, you’ll learn Mandarin Chinese which will allow you to communicate with people throughout almost all of China (and the rest of the world too!)

Learning to read in Chinese is not easy. I’d be lying to you if I said otherwise.

But it’s far from impossible with a logical approach and the right material to practise with.

In Chinese Uncovered, we take a “building blocks” approach to Chinese characters.

You’ll see the story written in characters from Chapter 1, but the Chinese will be accompanied by a romanised version of the story (called pinyin) so you can still read and pronounce each word from Day 1.

Then in each chapter, you’ll have a special Characters lesson with your tutor, Maggie, where she’ll teach you the fundamental Chinese characters one by one.

These lessons build on each other gradually, so that you master characters at a manageable, sustainable pace. (This is the most efficient and holistic way to learn to read in Chinese!).
After your character lessons you’ll go back to the story and re-read it, this time looking in the text for the characters you’ve just learned. It will be challenging at first, but lesson by lesson you’ll start to understand more of the Chinese text and rely less and less on the pinyin version.

By the time you finish Chapter 20, you’ll have built up a rich bank of Chinese characters and will be able to read words, phrases and even extended passages with flow and confidence.

Absolutely everything you need to learn Chinese as a beginner - no matter your previous experience, age or “natural talent” for languages.

Yes, the course is fully compatible with ALL common desktop and mobile devices. You can do it on your computer, phone, iPad or Android tablet.

Yes, absolutely. Although you might be covering some familiar territory in the early lessons, many people find it helpful to go over the basics more than once. The main advantage of this course is that you will be listening and reading to the story that accompanies the course from the beginning, which you will be able to enjoy even more with your existing knowledge. The speaking lessons will also enable you to consolidate the Chinese you already know, which all contributes to building a strong foundation and making fast progress in the language.

The course is structured over 20 modules. Each module is broken down into a number of sections, including video lessons, worksheets, speaking activities and more. The time it will take you to complete the course will depend on the time you have available, and the pace at which you like to study. If you decide to study one module per week, for example, which is a reasonable pace, it would take you approximately 5 months to complete the course.

Yes. The course is designed for you to study at your own pace, in a time and place that suits you. The materials never expire. What's more, you get free updates to the course as they are released in the future. The course material is fully downloadable, so if you don’t have a good internet connection, you can download what you need, and access it any time, any place.

I have students from many countries around the world, and the US Dollar is the most widely-accepted currency. But don't worry! You can purchase the course with any debit or credit card, no matter where you live, and your bank will automatically convert the USD to your local currency at the market rate.

When I set out to design Chinese Uncovered, my main aim was to set it apart from every other Chinese course. The way I've done that is to base the entire course around a story, and, in fact, the course syllabus itself emerges from the story.

Let me explain...

Most Chinese courses are structured by taking a bunch of grammar rules, putting them together in a certain order, then teaching them to you one-by-one in a series of lessons. This is dull, and ineffective. In this course, we do things differently. In this course, you learn through 'StoryLearning'. This means you focus on relaxing, reading, and enjoying the plot of the story. The 'serious study' happens another way!

Rather than teaching you through a process of grammar rules, followed by tests, here's what I do instead. First, I make sure you see the grammar being used naturally in the story itself. This way, you get to learn how it works in a natural way. Second, you discover the rules by yourself... with a little help from me! Story first. Rules later. This makes learning much more effective.

This means you get to enjoy learning Chinese first and foremost, rather than get bogged down in technicalities from the start. (Yes... it's fun!)

Doesn't that sound more exciting than your last textbook?

At every stage of the course, you’ll be immersed in real Chinese - both the written story and the audiobook. This means that by the time you finish the course, not only will you have read an entire book in Chinese, but you’ll have a large vocabulary, so you can express yourself fully in conversation. You will also have had many hours of listening practice, so that following spoken Chinese will be effortless.