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30 readings
Story · 2 min audio西施Xi Shi, the first of the Four BeautiesFish forget how to swim when they see her, and her neighbour's copy of her frown empties the whole village. Then a king sends her to destroy his enemy.HSK 5
Article · 2 min audio王羲之和《兰亭序》Wang Xizhi and the Orchid Pavilion PrefaceThe most famous page in Chinese calligraphy was written slightly drunk at a party. Its author could never write it as well again, and an emperor had it stolen.HSK 5
Story · 3 min audio荆轲刺秦王Jing Ke tries to kill the King of QinTo get close to the most powerful king in China, an assassin brings him a map with a dagger rolled inside. The king's sword is too long to draw.HSK 5
Article · 2 min audio赵州桥Zhaozhou Bridge, the world's oldest open-spandrel archIt doesn't look like much, but this stone bridge in Hebei has stood for 1,400 years. Its secret is four little holes.HSK 5
Article · 1 min audio倒茶的时候，为什么敲桌子？Chinese tea etiquette: why tap two fingers to say thanks?Every time I poured Grandpa's tea, he tapped the table and said nothing. I thought he wanted me to hurry up. He was saying thank you, and there's an emperor in the story.HSK 3
Article · 2 min audio重阳节是什么节？What is the Double Ninth Festival?A seventeen-year-old alone in the capital writes one line about missing home. Thirteen centuries later, China still quotes it every autumn.HSK 4
