🗺️ THE THE CHINESE PATH CURRICULUM · 100% ORIGINAL

The Silk Road Path
丝路进阶 — 学中文，就是一场旅行

Most courses give you a textbook. We give you a journey. Four ancient cities, 32 real-life scenarios, ~2,500 core words — you learn Mandarin the way travelers have crossed China for two thousand years: one stop at a time.

Start Level 1 — Free → See the Map ↓
敦煌 Dūnhuáng → 西安 Xī'ān → 成都 Chéngdū → 长安 Cháng'ān

The Route路线图

Every level is a city. Every unit is a scenario you'll actually face — ordering tea, bargaining in a night market, giving a taxi driver your address. Finish a level, and the next city unlocks new words, new grammar, new culture.

敦煌
L1 · Survival
西安
L2 · Daily Life
成都
L3 · Work & Travel
长安
L4 · Cultural Fluency

Level 1 · Departure at Dunhuang 启程·敦煌

✅ AVAILABLE NOW — FREE 0 → ~500 words · Beginner Band 1-2 width

You will be able to: greet people and introduce yourself · order food and tea · ask prices and bargain · give a taxi driver your address · tell time and make simple plans.

1. Hello, China你好中国
2. Tones Bootcamp拼音四声闯关
3. Numbers & Money数字与钱
4. Order a Tea点一杯茶
5. How Much Is This?这个市场多少钱
6. Taxis & Directions出租车与方向
7. Time & Today时间与今天
8. New Friends认识新朋友
Grammar focus
S-V-O word order吗 / 呢 questionsmeasure words 个杯块number system在 / 去
Discover China notes
Mogao Cavesnight-market bargainingtea vs coffee

→ Open the free Level 1 Core 500 wordlist (with audio) · Starter Kit: first 30 minutes free · 16 original dialogues with audio

Level 2 · Travelers at Xi'an 同行·西安

📖 WORDLIST LIVE — FREE ~500 → 1,100 words · Band 2-3 width

You will be able to: talk about family and work · discuss weather and plans · pay with your phone and order delivery · describe past events · travel by high-speed rail.

→ Level 2 Core wordlist is live — 588 new words with audio

1. My Family我的家人
2. Three Meals a Day一日三餐
3. Weather & Seasons天气与季节
4. Mobile Payment Life移动支付生活
5. What I Did Yesterday昨天做了什么
6. High-Speed Rail高铁出行
7. Hobbies & Weekends爱好与周末
8. A Day at the Warriors兵马俑的一天
Grammar focus
了 / 过 / 着比 comparisonstime expressions能 / 会 / 可以basic result complements
Discover China notes
Terracotta Armythe scan-to-pay societyhigh-speed rail network24 solar terms

Level 3 · Long Road to Chengdu 远行·成都

PLANNED ~1,100 → 1,800 words · Band 4 width

You will be able to: book hotels and handle complaints · describe symptoms to a doctor · exchange cards and make business small talk · write short social posts · follow slow news reports.

1. Check In订房与入住
2. Seeing a Doctor看医生
3. First Business Meeting商务初见
4. Hotpot Politeness火锅局客套话
5. 把-Sentences in Action把字句实战
6. Renting & Neighborhood租房与社区
7. Internet Buzzwords网络热词
8. Pandas & Slow Life熊猫与慢生活
Grammar focus
把 / 被 sentencescomplex complementsconnectors 因为…虽然…softening & politeness
Discover China notes
hotpot sociologytoasting etiquettepanda diplomacyChengdu slow life

Level 4 · Arrival at Chang'an 抵达·长安

PLANNED ~1,800 → 2,500 words · Band 5-6 width

You will be able to: use 20 high-frequency chengyu naturally · read headlines and commentary · give a 3-minute talk in Chinese · negotiate prices and terms · switch between formal and casual registers.

1. Wisdom in Chengyu成语里的智慧
2. Reading the News读新闻
3. Business Negotiation商务谈判
4. Emails & Reports写邮件与报告
5. Speeches & Opinions演讲与观点
6. Poetry 101诗词入门
7. Young China Today当代中国青年
8. Final: My China Story毕业路演
Grammar focus
register switchingsentence compressiondiscourse cohesion
Discover China notes
Tang-dynasty Chang'anchengyu storiespoetic imagerythe New Silk Road

How Every Unit Works学习方法

The Silk Road Path is The Chinese Path's own curriculum — written from scratch, built on public word-frequency research, and aligned in width with internationally recognized Band 1-6 proficiency levels. No copied textbooks, no recycled dialogues.

🎯 One-Sentence Mission

Every lesson starts with a single sentence you'll be able to say by the end — "学完你能说出这句话". Task first, theory second.

💬 100% Original Dialogues

Two original dialogues per unit: one functional (bargaining, ordering), one cultural (night markets, high-speed rail). Written by natives, recorded with audio.

🏔️ Discover China Notes

Each unit ends with a 150-word culture note in English — the "why" behind the words. Language opens the door; culture makes you stay.

Start the Journey Free

Level 1 · Dunhuang is open now: the Core 500 wordlist with audio, plus the free Starter Kit PDF. No signup, no card.

Core 500 Wordlist → Free Starter Kit