A single-paragraph essay about the results of a family jump rope competition.
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Our Family’s Jump Rope Contest
Category: Beginner (78)
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After I Got My New Years’ Money
For those of you new to Chinese culture, one thing a Chinese child most looks forward to all year is the time during Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) when they get to go ask their neighbors and other adults for red envelopes containing some money – it’s a bit like trick-or-treating for cash. This essay […]
This essay is about a kid who takes his father’s advice a little too literally (with amusing results).
This is an upper-beginner level texta. It’s good for beginner readers in the sense that a) it’s short, and b) it’s extremely repetitive – if you can puzzle out the first two or three sentences, the rest should be clear. To get you going, it might be worth noting there that the protagonist is a […]
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Dear Diary: Mama Please Believe Me
And now a break from all the intermediate and advanced exercises I’ve been posting lately. This one is a straightforward beginner Chinese diary-style essay about a student whose mother is displeased with his (or her, it’s never clarified) homework.
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The Little Bird with No Head
I apologize for not posting a month or so, I’ve been in the process of – ta da – moving back to China, so life’s been exciting but busy. On the upside, looks like I’ll have some interesting new posts from here. But today, in place of something interesting, we’ve got a slightly insipid story […]
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Children’s Story: Little Dog Wears Shoes
A short, sweet, very simple read about a boy, his dog, and a new pair of shoes.
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Essay: My Toy Bears
A quick child’s essay about two toy bears – a present from mom.
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Essay: Watermelon
A young child’s thoughts about watermelon, their favorite fruit.
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Essay: Setting Off Fireworks
A short first-person essay about a kid lighting firecrackers with his parents. The weirdest part about this, I think, is the part where the kid says he smokes a cigarette his dad gave him. How old is this child?! The rest of the piece makes it sound like he’s about 7-10? Anywayyyy… on with the [...]
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Essay: I Did Something for Mom
A sweet essay about a young child doing something nice for her mother.
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Father and Son Don’t Get Along
Another super-simple and very short children’s joke.
A story about a young elephant who learns a valuable life lesson.
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Cat Goes Fishing
A short story about an older cat teaching a younger cat a lesson as they fish together.
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Children’s Story: Three Good Friends
A very simple story about three friendly butterflies who stick up for each other.
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Essay: Feeling Sick
A passage from a BLCU textbook in which a university student laments about catching a cold.
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Essay: Jiang Ping Going to Study Abroad
This short essay, taken from the Beijing Language and Culture University beginner comprehension textbook, is written from the perspective of a friend visiting Jiang Ping （江苹） before she leaves the country.
A very short children’s story about a bear’s search for a new home.