Welcome to Mandarin Resource

Welcome to Mandarin Resource. I'm creating this website as a place to share non-biased and thorough reviews of the resources I use to study. I'll also share all the interesting, weird, obscure, wish-id-known-this-sooner and funny things I've come across as a learner of Mandarin Chinese.

This project originally began as a simple list of resources, divided into a few different categories. The list served as a great way for me to share resources I had uncovered whilst learning mandarin. It didn't however allow for nuanced reviews, nor allow me to share Chinese culture or topical updates.

'Mandarin Resource' has existed in a few forms before this (see below), first launching in September of 2019. The biggest difference this time around is the focus on written content and email.

Learning a language isn't easy. Especially Mandarin Chinese. But the last place you should be spending lots of time is sourcing decent resources and materials. I learned the hard way that many tools, whilst good in some aspects, just fall completely flat in others. Resources that aren't quite polished, aren't fit for beginners - or conversely don't go deeper than HSK1 vocabulary - are hard to differentiate from comprehensive and solid options when you're starting out.

Further, so many resources are just repurposed tools for studying European languages, but the teaching methods don't translate so well. It's heartbreaking to hear excited and fresh-faced Mandarin learners proclaim they've just added Chinese to their Duolingo (I love Duolingo, just it really isn't built for Mandarin right now).

These experiences of trying and testing different apps, textbooks, websites, courses and more convinced me to share my findings and experiences with other language learners.

Ultimately, my goal in launching this blog is to share all the things I've learned in the past couple of years I've spent studying Mandarin, and hopefully learn even more along the way, with like-minded language learners.

If you're on your own Mandarin learning journey - whether you just started today or you're a polyglot who has lived in China for 15 years - you'll find insightful and opinionated reviews, introductions to Chinese culture and my first-hand perspectives every step of the way.

You can join the mailing list (it's free!) and get updates straight to your inbox on this site, follow me on Instagram @mandarinresource or email me josh@mandarinresource.com.