Free Chinese stories for beginners, level by level

A0 stories (3)

• 我叫王明: Wang Ming, a student from Beijing, introduces himself and his older sister.
• 我家: Li Hua, eight, from Chengdu, introduces her parents, her twin brothers and the cat.
• 你喝茶吗？: Mark, an English teacher, meets Zhang Li from Shanghai over a cup of tea.

The A0 Chinese course

A1 stories (3)

• 在成都吃火锅: A Beijinger goes for hotpot in Chengdu with a local friend and finds out how spicy it is.
• 妈妈的生日: On Mum's fiftieth birthday, Dad and the narrator buy a cake, but Mum has a surprise.
• 车站里的老人 (红色的箱子, episode 1): On a busy holiday at Beijing South Station, Lin Xiaoyu goes home to Shanghai with the wrong red suitcase.

The A1 Chinese course

A2 stories (3)

• 坐高铁去上海: David, an English student in Beijing, takes the high-speed train to Shanghai for the first time.
• 奶奶的村子: A family drives from Shanghai to Grandma's village in Anhui for Spring Festival: chickens, stars and dumplings.
• 照片上的两个女孩 (红色的箱子, episode 2): Lin Xiaoyu looks inside the stranger's suitcase: a diary from 1985, a photo of two girls and a phone number.

The A2 Chinese course

B1 stories (3)

• 宿舍里的四个人: Four first-year students from four corners of China share a dorm room in Xi'an, and learn to live together.
• 下雨天的外卖: On a stormy evening in Shanghai, a delivery rider climbs six floors with a bowl of noodles and meets a kind old lady.
• 小梅和小兰 (红色的箱子, episode 3): In a Shanghai teahouse, Grandpa Zhang tells the story of the photo, and Lin Xiaoyu recognises one of the girls.

The B1 Chinese course

B2 stories (3)

• 父亲的自行车: Personal essay: an old, rusty bicycle that the writer's father refuses to sell, and the winter mornings it carried them through.
• 送错的外卖: Short story with dialogue: a delivery rider knocks on the wrong door and an elderly woman asks him for a small favour, just as his order is about to be late.
• 敢说“下班”: Opinion column: why leaving the office on time takes courage in many companies, and why a culture of overtime helps no one.

The B2 Chinese course

C1 stories (2)

• 回家的路: Feature on a tradition: the Spring Festival travel rush (春运), how it has changed from overnight queues to ticket apps and 'reverse' journeys, and what has not changed.
• 楼上的琴声: Short story with a twist: every night at ten, someone upstairs plays the same tune badly. The narrator complains, then starts to listen, and finally knocks on the door.

The C1 Chinese course

C2 stories (2)

• 茶馆晨景: Literary sketch in four-character rhythm: one morning in an old neighbourhood teahouse, from the first kettle to the last customer, and a young man in a suit who does not belong.
• 说“闲”: Essay in light written register: why busyness has become a badge of honour, what the old idea of leisure (闲) meant, with a line from Tao Yuanming, and why idling with a phone is not leisure.

Where can I read free Chinese stories for beginners?

SparkAI has 19 graded Mandarin stories from A0 to C2 (12 of them from A0 to B1), all free. Each one has an English meaning for every sentence, tappable words and a few comprehension questions.

Are the stories in Simplified characters?

Yes. In the reader, tap a word from the course for its pinyin and meaning, and to hear it.

When can I start reading?

From A0. The first stories use only the words and grammar of the first lessons: 是, 叫, numbers and family. Move up when you understand most of a story without tapping.

What comes after the stories?

Real Chinese books: 9 public-domain works from Lu Xun to the Analects, in the same reader.