Rainbow Bridge
Starter Level: 150 Words
Bao Zheng and the Case of the Ox's Tongue
Features
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❌ no pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
Description
A villager named Li Er found his cow’s tongue was mysteriously cut. He then reported his case to Bao Zheng. The judge used a clever way to find out the truth…
Content
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251 unique words
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232 unique characters
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1,140 total characters
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Cao Chong Weighed an Elephant
Features
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❌ no pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
Description
How did people weigh an elephant in ancient China? A young child came up with a brilliant solution…
Content
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35 pages
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243 unique words
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200 unique characters
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1,180 total characters
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Jingwei Tries to Fill Up the Sea
Features
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❌ no pinyin transcription
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Description
You may have seen a bird holding branches in its beak in order to build its nest, but have you ever seen a bird picking up pebbles to throw into a vast expanse of water? There was indeed such a bird in ancient China. As the tale goes, the bird named Jingwei would fly every day from Mount Fajiu in the west to the East China Sea, trying its best to fill up the Sea with little stones. If you want to know why, this Chinese fairy tale will satisfy your curiosity.
Content
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36 pages
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316 unique words
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248 unique characters
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1,330 total characters
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Legend of Chinese New Year's Eve
Features
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❌ no pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
Description
The Chinese New Year’s Eve is called Chuxi, meaning “driving away the monster Xi.” There is an amazing legend about it....
Content
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300 unique words
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221 unique characters
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1,340 total characters
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Level 1: 300 Words
A Stone on Trial
Features
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❌ no pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
Description
Having been robbed of all his goods, a businessman asks for help from a local official Lord Guo. Surprisingly, Lord Guo conducts a trial by interviewing a special “witness”— a big stone …
Content
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40 pages
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478 unique words
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353 unique characters
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2,420 total characters
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Magical Lotus Lantern
Features
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Description
Saint Mother, a goddess on Mount Hua, fell in love with Liu Yanchang, an immortal. The two of them had a son named Chenxiang. God Erlang, Saint Mother’s brother, was quite unhappy about this situation. He grabbed the lotus lantern from Saint Mother and imprisoned her under Mount Hua. At the age of eight, Chenxiang decided to set off on his own to rescue his mother....
Content
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41 pages
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475 unique words
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336 unique characters
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2,960 total characters
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Nuwa the Goddess of Mankind
Features
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Description
In ancient Chinese mythology, Nüwa was the goddess who created the universe. She was half woman and half snake. Legend claimed that she created human by kneading clay into her image. One day, heaven collapsed, the earth cracked and a flood occurred. A Black Dragon Demon devoured humans as they appeared and they were confronted with an unprecedented catastrophe. How would Nüwa help the humans? Would she defeat the Black Dragon Demon? Please read The Story of Nüwa to find out.
Content
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39 pages
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493 unique words
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370 unique characters
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2,670 total characters
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Level 2: 500 Words
Hua Mulan, the Lady Warrior
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
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Description
Hua Mulan was a brave and intelligent young lady who developed an interest in riding and archery at a young age. When her country was faced an enemy invasion, she was determined to fight the war in the place of her aging and fragile father. She put on a war robe and disguised herself as a man….
Content
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40 pages
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760 unique words
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544 unique characters
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3,340 total characters
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Legend of the White Snake
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
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Description
By Hangzhou’s picturesque West Lake lived a young man named Xu Xian. He fell in love with Bai Suzhen, a beautiful and kind-hearted young lady. The two of them lived happily together, until Fahai, an evil monk, discovered Bai’s secret and tried to separate them by taking Xu away forcibly. To get Xu back, Bai fought against Fahai and summoned a flood using her magic powers… Would Bai Suzhen succeed against Fahai? Please read the Legend of the White Snake to find out.
Content
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696 unique words
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451 unique characters
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5,030 total characters
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Level 3: 750 Words
Crown Prince or a Leopard Cat
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
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Description
Two imperial concubines become pregnant. The emperor tells them that whoever gives birth to a boy first will be the queen. No one could expect the emperor’s offer would embroil the palace in the gory intrigue that follows…
Content
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74 pages
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896 unique words
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540 unique characters
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7,320 total characters
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Four Ancient Beauties: Yang Guifei
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
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Description
Imperial Consort Yang, one of the four ancient beauties of China, is adept at dancing and wins the heart of Li Longji, the longest reigning emperor of the Tang Dynasty. But the emperor’s favoritism towards her ultimately leads to her tragic demise....This enduring love story has been adapted into poems, dramas, and novels and is still told to this day.
Content
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866 unique words
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545 unique characters
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7,690 total characters
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Legend of a Tang Princess
Features
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Description
Tibetan King Songtsen Gampo wants to marry Princess Wencheng of the Tang, so he sends his clever envoy, who travels all the way from Tibet, to propose before the Tang emperor…
Content
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987 unique words
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606 unique characters
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7,940 total characters
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Making of the First Emperor
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
❌ no traditional character version
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Description
The first emperor of the Qin Dynasty was also China’s very first emperor. Although he is revered in Chinese history for unifying the country, he had a miserable childhood. What did he achieve that made him a remarkable statesman? What is his political legacy that continues to have a profound influence on China to this day? This story unveils an important chapter in Chinese history: the making of the first emperor.
Content
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1,150 unique words
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690 unique characters
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8,360 total characters
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Level 4: 1000 Words
Xuanzang's Pilgrimage
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
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Description
Do you know the Monkey King? If so, do you know that his master, Xuanzang, was a real historical figure? Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Over 1,000 years ago, he traversed over 25,000 km and overcame countless difficulties and dangers along the way to study Buddhism in India….
Content
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1,322 unique words
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824 unique characters
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9,360 total characters
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Level 5: 1500 Words
Romance of the Three Kingdoms
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
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✔️ mp3s available to download;
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✔️ English translation;
✔️ exercises for the reader
Description
Romance of the Three Kingdoms is hailed as one of the four great classical Chinese novels. This illustrated adaptation is a tale of the plots, personal and military battles, intrigues, and struggles of three different states as they attempt to achieve dominance.
Content
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3,390 unique words
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1,525 unique characters
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43,320 total characters
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Level 6: 2500 Words
Journey to the West
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
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Description
Monkey King, Pig and Sandy escort Master Xuanzang on an epic quest to obtain Buddhist scriptures. On their journey, they vanquish monsters and demons and punish the wicked to elevate the virtuous. After experiencing 81 tribulations, they eventually succeed in their mission in heroic fashion.
Content
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2,381 unique words
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1,300 unique characters
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28,260 total characters
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Outlaws of the Marsh
Features
❌ no pinyin transcription
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Description
The awe-inspiring heroes represented by Lin Chong, Lu Zhishen and Song Jiang gather at Mount Liangshan. There they set up a banner at a towering height on which is written a slogan: "Enforce justice on behalf of Heaven". This is the motto guiding these heroes as they vanquish evildoers and help those in need. Their stories have become a legend known to people across China.
Content
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283 pages
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2,285 unique words
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1,286 unique characters
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27,730 total characters
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