RTM Membership—What's inside RTM Plus
RTM Plus is a self-paced program offering you maximum flexibility, and a system which helps you efficiently establish a lasting learning habit through:
Weekly news-based content, newsletters and podcasts
Learning tools, tailored resources, and app integrations
Personalised onboarding, one-month check-ins, and ongoing support
It helps you bridge the gap to real-world fluency in Mandarin, stay informed about China, and communicate with confidence—all through weekly immersion in real news.
What’s inside RTM Plus
1. Weekly Content, newsletters, and podcasts
RTM members access four weekly podcasts and newsletters, covering a major news story in the Chinese-speaking world, tailored to different levels of learners, as well as quarterly webinars helping you solve key learning challenges.
RTM Advanced (Saturdays): A deep dive into a major news story with English context, key vocabulary, and a full Chinese explanation.
RTM Intermediate (Sundays):news article with audio, curated word list, example dialogue, grammar insights, exercises, and app integrations.
RTM Conversations (Wednesdays): A natural 5-6 minute Mandarin discussion (male and female voices) reinforcing key vocabulary in context, with transcript, additional vocab, and native content recommendations.
RTM Fluent (Saturdays): A carefully selected native Chinese news article with full audio and a link to the original media report—perfect for post-study practice.
RTM Deep Dives (Quarterly): expert-led quarterly webinars, each tackling a key learning challenge for intermediate to advanced Mandarin learners—featuring live discussions, access to recordings, interactive Q&A, and full archive access.
2. Resources, tools, and app integrations
Each podcast episode is packed with resources, tools, and app integrations for maximum flexibility so you can choose based on your learning style.
In each podcast episode you get access to the following resources:
RTM Advanced podcast
Context explained in English so you can overcome barriers to understanding with ease
Native Chinese audio to give more cultural background so you can get deeper insights and put what you have learned into practice
24 key words and phrases with pinyin, translations, and example sentences so you can learn language in “chunks” and in context
Full PDF transcript of Chinese explanation so you can read and listen at the same time
PDF print outs of word list and example sentences so you can access full pinyin, and integrate into your own system
App integrations with Pleco, Anki, Skritter, Hack Chinese, Laoshi.io, and mylingua so you can choose your preferred tool
Curated links to high quality news articles so you can practice what you’ve learned and read more into the story
RTM Intermediate podcast
350-word article in Chinese pitched at intermediate level so you can access the news story with“comprehensible input” at your level
6-8 minute native audio including article, dialogue, and word list and example sentences so you can listen and read at the same time
20-24 key words and phrases with pinyin, translations, and example sentences so you can learn language in context
4-5 grammar points with examples so you can fill in the gaps in your knowledge
Test questions (with answers) so you can put what you learn into practice
App integrations with Pleco, Anki, Skritter, Hack Chinese, Laoshi.io so you can choose your preferred tool
RTM Conversations podcast
5-6 minute dialogue in Mandarin (male and female voice) so you can hear what you have learned in context and in conversation
Full transcript of the conversation so you can read and listen at the same time
Recommended native content (video, audio) so you can gain more exposure to relevant and native material
Additional key words or phrases so you can fill gaps and learn essential information
RTM Fluent podcast
Full native Mandarin native article, carefully selected so you can apply what you have learned and gain confidence with “real” news content
Full audio of the article so you can listen and read at the same time
3. Personalised onboarding
One of the biggest challenges for intermediate and advanced Mandarin learners is finding time and motivation to restart—and keep going.
That’s why we provide personalised onboarding to help you get started and stay consistent with RTM through:
30-minute onboarding tutorial series to guide you through everything RTM offers
20-minute 1:1 onboarding call (after the tutorials) to answer your questions and give personalised advice
20-minute 1:1 check-in call after one month to fine-tune your approach
Ongoing support via email and the Substack app
With RTM, you’re never learning alone.
“This program would suit intermediate to advanced learners who would like to practice speaking skills and to stay motivated to continuing learning Mandarin. Highly recommended.” (RTM Plus member)
How to join RTM Plus
The investment required to join RTM Plus is:
Monthly: $30/month
Annually: $220/year (30% cheaper than monthly)
This includes all the content, resources, and onboarding.
What RTM Plus members are saying
Since 2022, over 1,350 Mandarin learners have used RTM to move beyond textbooks and graded readers—and engage more confidently with real-world, up-to-date Mandarin.
Here’s what some of them are saying about how RTM is helping them:
“RealTime Mandarin has been a game-changer for me. The episodes are so interesting and relevant that I can’t wait to challenge myself every week. This has not only boosted my confidence and motivation to improve my Chinese, but it has also revealed a fascinating and important new world to me.” (RTM+ member)
“With the recent difficulties of being able to visit China first hand, RTM has become part of my weekly routine to not only be able to keep up to date on current news but also keep up my motivation for language learning. I would highly recommend RTM to anybody learning Mandarin.”
“Well-structured method to bring your Chinese level to an advanced level while staying updated of the latest trends in China.”
“An absolutely fabulous resource and really fills a niche in Chinese-language education. It removes a lot of the barriers to literacy by giving students the context they need to understand important idioms and how they are used today. It's also great for advanced learners, especially those who live outside a Chinese-speaking community, helping them understand Chinese as it's spoken.”
“RTM's weekly podcasts, along with word lists, examples of usage, and exercises, have been a boon to my Chinese. As a lawyer with an almost-exclusively Chinese clientele, RTM increases my ability to conduct meetings in Mandarin and to communicate more effectively. My wife is Chinese and she enjoys reviewing the RTM materials with me too, as they further her English understanding. All in all, RTM is a tremendously useful and enjoyable tool. I look forward to each weekend when new articles appear.”
“If you're not immersed in Chinese news every day it is really difficult to stay up-to-date with the latest idioms, puns, and phrases. I'm so glad this resource exists, not only as a database of new vocabulary but also as a window into Chinese linguistics and internet-speak. It's an excellent resource to stay focused on relevant vocab and explore current events from the Chinese side.”
“Most learners of Chinese will confess to regular bouts of frustration. Finding content at the right level, expending hours searching for meaning in dictionaries, to no avail, and listening to apparently interesting conversations without the benefit of someone willing to stop and explain it all. The RTM service speeds all this up, by presenting you with ready to go content.”
“Best content out there for advanced Chinese learners. Greatly fills the gap for proficiency-seeking Mandarin geeks out there. Awesome and up-to-date slang as well as really niceinsights into current mainland events. Keep up the good work!”
“RTM has helped me improve my reading and speaking skills in Chinese tremendously, which is useful for me both professionally and for my own personal interest in China. Strongly recommended to any of those who want to take the next step in actually mastering colloquial Chinese.”
“RTM is a great initiative, providing useful and original content. The weekly content is well analyzed and the podcast is a great additional learning tool. In short, great content presented in an easy to digest way.”
“As an advanced learner, I’ve been working on my Chinese for 15 years already. So far RTM is one of the best resources I’ve found. Weekly updates with incredibly well integrated linguistic approach, real life Chinese with cultural references, native speakers - there’s nothing even similar on the market. The content is invaluable. Thank you so much for your dedication to learning about China!”
“I am really enjoying the content from RTM! It can be used in all sorts of ways, fitting your own needs and interests. Personally, I am using the content to learn a few new words and expressions at a time and to listen to native speaker content! I really like that everything is stored in one platform and it is easily accessible. Big thanks for your support and for sharing your passion!”
“When you get to a certain level of Chinese, the amount of tailored learning resources dwindles significantly, making it challenging to improve or maintain your abilities. RTM is so great because it repackages current and relevant materials in a way that is interesting, digestible & regular. Importantly, Andrew's passion for what he does also really shows, which is a great motivator!”
“There is more to the RTM subscription than meets the eye. Little did I know I’d be joining a community of highly motivated and dedicated students and teachers, which has not only transformed my learning experience but launched my language capabilities to a new level. This is truly a unique Mandarin learning product you will not find elsewhere.”
“A unique resource where the weekly podcasts enlighten the readers about the vocabulary related to trends and happenings in China. The topic selected for the same is interesting. I loved the Chinese New Year, the newsletter with idioms and trending words which I could use and impress my friends with. Also, as the weekly newsletters are available on the website theme wise it makes the readers easier to search the topic and give it a read. RTM is a treat to Chinese learners and can be truly helpful in upgrading one's Chinese language.”
“Us long-time Chinese language learners are a very diverse bunch, and Andrew has managed to come up with a product that unites us all: material that is current, varied and engaging, and an expanding set of resources that offer flexibility for each learner to use according to their needs - the most recent additions being podcast transcripts and monthly community meetings.”
“RTM breaks down an article and extracts words and sentences, and you can read along with Zoe as she does the native speaker read aloud with clear and standard pronunciation. However, it doesn’t stop there. The recommendations have been beneficial in helping me better utilize ALL of my Chinese materials, and I’m progressing much faster than I ever thought possible through my “comprehensible input” books. I was pleasantly surprised that almost immediately I found opportunities to use the information and vocabulary I learned in conversations with Chinese friends!”
“As an advanced learner, I found that RTM offers respite from the laborious task of hacking through long-form Chinese articles, and aided my study with gripping, insightful and accessible definitional explanations, facts about contemporary language use, and introductions to topics I would otherwise be timid to approach. I’d recommend RTM to anyone who wants to engage critically and thoughtfully with current topics pertinent to China today, for which RTM is a stand-alone platform.”
“Two critical areas for the advanced language learner are up-to-date cultural knowledge and diverse and sophisticated native text and audio to facilitate immersion. RTM has the best of both. Massively helpful for learning, and there’s no better way to stay up on what’s happening on the Chinese Internet in Chinese.”
“The articles and podcasts are extremely well researched and interesting, providing insights into language and contemporary culture that are difficult to find on other learning platforms.”
“RTM is the perfect resource for staying up-to-date on current events while learning real-life words & phrases in today's context. The full audio (~80% in Chinese) really elevates the learning beyond reading alone. Highly worth it!”
“Fantastic tool to keep learning Chinese! Every newsletter is like a little jewel, full of compelling content. I'm learning a lot. Thank you Andrew and Zoe!”