A great well-rounded course with a lot of heart put into it
I’ve been learning Chinese on and off since 2018, trying all the traditional methods: in-person classes, HSK books, and apps like Lingodeer and Hello Chinese. While they were good to a point, my progress was short-lived, and I repeatedly ended up giving up, frustrated and not much further along than when I started. Earlier this year (2025), a few Mandarin Blueprint YouTube videos popped up and reignited my motivation. I have to say, their free YouTube content, especially the pronunciation guide - is excellent. It’s a generous and really helpful resource. Intrigued, I visited their website and saw that the first 20 levels of their course were free. With nothing to lose, I signed up and started their method. The method itself feels a bit challenging and even ridiculous at first - but trust the process. After the first 50 characters, I realized something I’d never experienced in all my years of learning Chinese: I could read, write, and most importantly; remember the pronunciation and correct tone with ease. If nothing else, this course is the “bees’ knees” for character learning and reading. But it’s much more than that. The entire course is clearly laid out and packed with content. There’s a full onboarding course that explains exactly how to learn, with precise steps and time allocations so nothing feels ambiguous. Heavy guidance through the first ~13 levels gently gives way to more independent learning. The platform runs on Kajabi and is paired with an SRS flashcard system on Traverse. The only downside is that Traverse is online-only, so you can’t study offline. However, for most learners, this isn’t a major issue, and it’s still more user-friendly than alternatives like Anki. They also have an in-house app in development for sentence listening, shadowing, and activation exercises, which looks promising (parts like the “Speaking Listening Kickstarter” are already live). I’ve since completed the free section and moved into the paid course. For me, it’s worth every penny. If you try the free levels, I’m sure you’ll be impressed. Nothing else compares to the depth and care put into this course, and the community (on Skool) is awesome, too. It’s been incredibly fulfilling to finally communicate better with my wife and her family, as well as with Chinese colleagues at work. It’s opened doors to meaningful conversations I couldn’t have had before. Overall, Mandarin Blueprint is a fantastic product. You can tell founders Luke and Phil genuinely care about helping people learn Chinese.