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A weekly resource to help you tune in to what people are discussing in China, and get a quick dose of Mandarin—in just 10 minutes a week

Feb 21, 2024

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What is RealTime Mandarin?

RealTime Mandarin is a free newsletter which helps you improve your Mandarin, tune in to what people are discussing in China, and get a quick dose of Mandarin in just 10 minutes a week

RealTime Mandarin is a resource which combines language learning, cultural context, and real news about China.

Every Saturday, you'll get a newsletter which spotlights one major news story being discussed in the Chinese speaking world, explaining key vocabulary, and cultural context—bringing together language learning with real news, and insights about China.

Subscribe to get the next newsletter delivered to your inbox on Saturday!

RealTime Mandarin is recognised as a 2024 Featured Publication and a Top Ten Education publication on Substack.

Who is RealTime Mandarin for?

The RealTime Mandarin newsletter is for you if you’ve been learning Chinese for a number of years, and describe your level as:

“intermediate”
“fluent but with gaps”
“advanced but rusty”

RealTime Mandarin is enjoyed by seasoned China watchers, China experts, and China Nerds who rely on it to stay informed about China, and keep up-to-date with the latest Chinese language trends.

Here’s what some of them have to say:

Who writes RealTime Mandarin?

I'm Andrew Methven, the creator of RealTime Mandarin.

I first went to China in 2002, taking the train from London. I spent a year travelling across China, exploring some of its most remote places. There was no plan, I couldn’t speak Chinese, and I knew nothing about China.

Along the way, I started learning Mandarin, and then lived in Taiwan for a few years before returning to the UK. In London, I did a MA in Chinese translation and linguistics, and went on to build a China-focussed career in business.

I travelled to China regularly with work over the following 15 years, so managed to keep a decent level of Mandarin even though I wasn't living in China.

Why I started RealTime Mandarin

I started this newsletter in February, 2021, during COVID.

Unable to travel to China, my Mandarin got rusty, fast.

I forgot words
My tones were off
My pronunciation was all over the place.

I knew I needed to do something about it, but didn’t want to take classes.

So, I set a goal: read one Chinese language news article every morning.

That was harder than expected. Even finding good, unbiased news sources was a challenge.

And when I found decent content, there were always words and phrases I didn’t know:

idioms
dialect words
internet slang terms
completely new expressions

Annoyingly, these phrases were usually the key to really understanding the story.

They were often also the most interesting bits too, offering insights into modern Chinese society, or even Chinese history.

So, I started making word lists of everything I learned each week, and sharing them in this newsletter every Saturday.

Four years on… RealTime Mandarin has grown into a language learning platform with newsletters, podcasts, and resources used by over 11,000 China watchers and language enthusiasts.

What is the RTM membership?

In addition to the free newsletter, we also have a paid membership, RTM.

The RTM membership helps you build real-world fluency in Mandarin, stay informed about China, and communicate with confidence—all through weekly immersion in real news.

There are two tiers of RTM membership:

RTM Plus is our “self-paced” program with weekly news-based content (newsletters, podcasts), app integrations and tailored resources, and personalised onboarding and check-ins.
RTM Pro is our “structured immersion” program with immersive weekly group calls in Mandarin, structured framework for progress, and a rivate community.