The system behind 5 years of RealTime Mandarin
And how to make it yours
Hello!
Yesterday I hinted at something big coming to celebrate our 5th birthday.
Today, I’m revealing what it is.
And how it could change the way you learn Chinese forever.
Over five years of publishing RealTime Mandarin, I’ve been quietly building a system.
A six-step framework that’s kept my own Chinese — and my understanding of China — improving beyond anything I managed in the 20 years before it.
It’s so good that I gave it a name.
I call it the FLUENT System, and it removes the six barriers Mandarin learners struggle with when learning through real Chinese news:
F — Finding the right content without getting lost, bored or blocked
L — Learning new vocab without overwhelm, hitting a wall or giving up
U — Understanding what you’ve read to actually retain and use it
E — Engaging with what you’ve learned so it doesn’t vanish a week later
N — Navigating real conversations using it without freezing
T — Transforming your learning into a sustainable habit even when life gets busy
This is the system at the heart of my membership, RTM Plus.
And this Sunday, for the first time, I’m teaching new members who join on the annual plan how to make their own FLUENT System.
This is for you if…
You’ve been learning Mandarin for years — maybe even decades. And you call yourself “intermediate”, “advanced but rusty”, or “fluent-ish with gaps.”
Perhaps you used to live in China or Taiwan, and still use Chinese in your work. But somewhere along the way, life got busy — and your language started slipping.
You can still read Chinese news (with a struggle).
But you’ve lost confidence and freeze in conversations.
You’ve tried apps, graded readers, and textbooks but they feel boring. Yet native-level news content still feels just out of reach.
And every time you try to build a proper routine to get your confidence back, it falls apart within a few weeks, and you’re still stuck.
That’s exactly where the FLUENT System and RTM Plus come in.
Join me this Sunday for a free webinar where I explain the FLUENT system — exclusively for RTM Plus annual members:
Session 1: Sunday 10:00 UK time
Session 2: Sunday 17:00 UK time
Join here (and select annual plan):
After this one-hour live training you will:
Leave with your own personalised implementation plan — based on your content preferences, learning goals, and schedule.
Get full access to RTM Plus content ecosystem — including podcasts, newsletters, app integrations, and more — for the next year.
And if you join this week you’ll unlock 4 exclusive bonuses to make sure you put the system into practice:
🎁 BONUS 1: The RTM Media Masterlist — 100+ curated Chinese media outlets so you never waste time searching for the right content again.
🎁 BONUS 2: The FLUENT Reading Checklist — A printable checklist so you always know exactly what to do when you sit down with a Chinese news article.
🎁 BONUS 3: The FLUENT Google Doc Template — Complete it during the webinar to build your own personal implementation plan.
🎁 BONUS 4: A 1:1 Follow-up Call — A 20-minute call with me after the webinar to refine your plan and make sure your system is set up to stick.
Reserve your spot now and start building your own FLUENT System this weekend (select annual option).
See you Sunday,
Andrew
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P.S. — RTM Plus is powered by the FLUENT System.
You’ll get real Chinese news every week at intermediate, advanced, and native levels, so your implementation plan never runs dry.
And you have clear pathway to break through your current learning plateau.
Find out more about RTM Plus here.
P.P.S. — This is the only time I’ll be teaching the FLUENT System live and free.
The recording will become a paid standalone course.
Join the annual plan of RTM Plus today to secure your spot.
(Deadline is midnight Saturday 28 February; for members on the annual plan only)