Learn the language.
Keep the stories.
Shanhai Story is a reading library for people learning Chinese outside the classroom. It retells memorable Chinese stories with pinyin, English support, vocabulary, cultural context, and audio.
Why stories?
Stories give new words a scene, a decision, and a consequence. That makes language easier to follow and easier to remember than an isolated list. Chinese folklore also helps learners understand the images, customs, and idioms that appear in everyday Chinese.
One clear version of each story
Each Shanhai Story text has one recommended reading level. We do not create six artificial rewrites of the same story. The level follows the Chinese text itself, using vocabulary coverage, grammar, sentence structure, narrative load, and the learning support provided on the page.
Built for independent learners
Pinyin and English can be hidden when they are no longer needed. Saved vocabulary stays on the learner’s device. Free tools help readers check an outside text, count Hanzi, and add character-level pinyin.