Testimonials

This is our wall of love from members of the Slow Chinese community.

Jeremy Goldkorn, Editor-in-Chief, The China Project

Andrew Methven's Slow Chinese newsletter and podcast is the best and most efficient way I have found to maintain my Chinese reading abilities and learn new idiomatic language, and because it's drawn from Chinese media reports and online language, it's also an excellent method of keeping up with current events, as Chinese people are reading about them.

Geremie R. Barmé, Editor, China Heritage

I very much enjoy and admire Slow Chinese. Through it I rediscover old friends and encounter delightful new acquaintances. It often makes me wistful for nights spent in the rowdy company of revellers in “Old Peking”.

Bai Dan (US)

There is more to the SlowChinese subscription than meets the eye. I thought I was purchasing a subscription to a newsletter, podcast and couple extra resources to help nudge my Chinese forward. 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.

Anuprita (India)

I recently subscribed to SlowChinese and since then have consistently followed the platform. It is a unique newsletter 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. For. eg for the Chinese New Year, the newsletter consisted of idioms and trending words related to the Red-eyed devil bunny. 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. Overall, I would say that SlowChinese is a treat to Chinese learners and can be truly helpful in upgrading one's Chinese language.

Justina (Argentina)

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.

Cassandra Hafen (US)

I was looking for resources to help me advance from a low intermediate plateau, and Slow Chinese has more than delivered. Before using Slow Chinese, I was concerned that the content level was above my “comprehensible input,” causing the dreaded frustration. I’m so glad I didn’t let this fear of it being “too hard” stop me from subscribing because Slow Chinese uses authentic Chinese media sources, “hot topics,” and has excellent role models(Andrew and Zoe). I’m grateful to Andrew because he consistently provides encouragement and is quick to listen to the reader’s ideas and feedback. Sometimes you need someone who’s already reached the top of the mountain to remind you of the big picture and help you avoid pitfalls.    Each week Slow Chinese 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, Slow Chinese doesn’t stop there; it provides all kinds of tips and hacks in the newsletter, on Twitter, and in the podcast that I could apply to help my learning. 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 and weekly, I found opportunities to use the information and vocabulary I learned in conversations with Chinese friends; even though I live in the US-making learning feel much more engaging and connected. Wherever you are, if you are serious about being a fluent Chinese reader, Slow Chinese will help you get there!

Matt Michaelson (US)

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. Slow Chinese 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.

Dom Hector (UK)

Slow Chinese is an inimitable resource that introduces the learner to current themes, issues and debates in China today through well-researched articles, highly digestible newsletters and a dissecting podcast that expands and explores contemporary language both popular and arcane. As an advanced learner, I found that Slow Chinese offered some respite from the laborious task of hacking through the thicket of 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 also believe that Slow Chinese would be great for learners of any level, as it is vital in the early stages to start absorbing and engaging with real on-the-ground language. I’d recommend Slow Chinese to anyone who wants to learn Chinese without the feelings of slog and bore and simply enjoy the process and expect great results. I’d also recommend Slow Chinese to anyone who wants to engage critically and thoughtfully with current topics pertinent to China today, for which Slow Chinese is a stand-alone platform.