Chinese News Bootcamp

An introductory course on how to read the news in Chinese

Online Course with 10+ hours of video lessons and Q&A sessions, just $299

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rated 4.8/5 by 1000's of Chinese learners

The Chinese News Bootcamp is an intensive 5-week course which helps intermediate students of Chinese take the leap from graded readers into "real life" news articles in Chinese. Over five live modules, and five Q&A sessions, you'll learn the basics of how to read the news in Chinese.

In this course, you will learn:

1. Unique challenges: Why learning to read the news in Chinese is so important, and uniquely difficult.

2. News architecture: The structure of Chinese language news, how it differs from English news, and how to identify the different types of articles.

3. Chinese newspeak: An overview of headlines, styles, and language used in Chinese language news.

4. Grammar and language: Common language structures and grammar used in the news, and how to read them efficiently.

5. Examples: Lots of real-life examples from business, politics, including state-media and non-state media content.

Student Testimonials (previous courses)

Randy
USA (living in China)

Jim
USA

Susan
Taiwan (living in Australia)

Chris
USA (living in Finland)

Margreet
Netherlands (living in NZ)

Anand
India

Intensive

This is an intensive 5-week "crash course." Each week will focus on a different topic or aspect of reading the news in Chinese, and will include several reading assignments to help you put your new knowledge into practice.

Practical

Andrew Methven has spent years reading the news in Chinese and teaching other people how to do so. He's developed a system specifically for nonnative speakers to get "up and running" with the news as quickly as possible—including techniques to help you choose level-appropriate news articles, and even to skim!

Lifetime Access

The course is entirely self-paced, and like all of our courses, you'll still be able to access all of the materials after you're finished. No need to stress about time—you can go through the lessons on your own time, and ask us for help whenever you need it!

Curriculum

Module 1: Introduction

Course kick-off and introduction

Why reading the news is important

Unique challenges of reading the news in Chinese

Module 2: Architecture of Chinese language news

Differences with English language news

Overall structure of Chinese language news articles

Different types of articles and media outlets

Module 3: Introduction to Chinese newspeak

How to read titles and subheadings

Understanding punctuation

Important “newsy” characters

Naming and proper nouns

Module 4: Introduction to news language structures

Important grammar structures

Common sentence structures

Long sentences

Module 5: Examples of real-life news articles

Types:

State media

Non-state media

Themes:

Politics

Business

Society

About this course

This is a 5-module crash course, which you can go through at your own pace. It helps intermediate students of Chinese take the leap from graded readers into "real life" news articles in Chinese. Over five modules, and five recorded Q&A sessions, you'll learn the basics of how to read the news in Chinese.

In each lesson, you'll be assigned a few news selections to read to help you put your new knowledge into practice. Andrew will give explanations of any grammar and vocabulary items you may be unfamiliar with. You'll also learn about the various "types" of news writing, as well as how to pick articles to read that are both interesting and appropriate for your level. By the end of the course, you'll have the skills and knowledge to continue reading the news on your own!

Intro to the Course

Your Instructor

Andrew Methven

Author of Slow Chinese, creator of the Mandarin News Mastery System

Andrew is the founder and author of the RealTime Mandarin newsletter a free weekly resource which helps over 12,000 China watchers and language learners keep up to date with the latest language trends in China.

A self-taught learner of Mandarin for more than 20 years, Andrew consumes huge amounts of Chinese language news every day. His Mandarin News Mastery course (a more advanced course than this one) is now in its second year, and has helped over 100 upper-intermediate and advanced Mandarin learners dramatically improve their Chinese news reading skills and reading speed.

Andrew began his Mandarin learning journey backpacking in China for a year in 2002. He then lived and studied in Taiwan for three years. He’s had an extensive career in China-related business as an executive in a China-focussed advisory firm in the UK. He holds a BSc in Planetary Science from UCL, and an MA in Chinese Translation and Linguistics from SOAS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I go at my own pace? Will I still be able to access the course once I've finished it?

Yes! You get lifetime access, so we'll keep everything available online so that you can go through it at your own pace and review it whenever you want to!

How much Chinese do I need to know to take this course?

This course is for intermediate-level learners and above. If you know 800 characters or so, or if you feel like newspaper articles are frustrating but just within reach, this course is for you.

How much time will it require per lesson?

There will be one lecture per module, and each lesson will be about an hour. You'll also need to devote some time each day to reading the news articles assigned for that week.

There's also a recorded "office hour" session for each module, where Andrew does some live workshopping of news articles. There is a discussion forum, where you can get your questions answered.

Will I need anything (apps, etc.) in order to take the course?

All materials are provided—there's no textbook or anything that you need to buy in order to take this course.

What does "lifetime access" mean?

In practical terms, it means the course materials will be available online for as long as Outlier is in business. If we do ever go out of business or otherwise need to remove the course for any reason, we'll make the material available for you to download for a period of at least 6 months.

Can I get a refund if I decide the course isn't for me?

Yes! We have a 30-day, no questions asked refund policy. If you decide you don't like the course for whatever reason, just reach out by then and I'll be happy to give you a full refund.

Will there be assignments or homework?

You'll need to set aside time to work through several news articles for each module. It's also best to spend some time (probably 10-15 minutes) each day reviewing previous articles.

Online Course with 10+ hours of video lessons and Q&A sessions, just $299

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rated 4.8/5 by 1000's of Chinese learners

30-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!

We believe in the quality of our products and are committed to your satisfaction. That’s why we offer a 30-Day Money Back Guarantee on all purchases. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply contact us within 30 days for a full refund, no questions asked.