Do I need an account to play a story in class?

No. Open a story, put it on the speaker, press play. The audio, the Chinese transcript, the pinyin and the English are all public. An account only matters when you want to create a class and assign specific stories.

Can students use this for AP Chinese listening practice?

For half of that section, yes. The AP listening part uses two kinds of audio: rejoinders, where you pick the reply to a short exchange, and longer listening selections — announcements, voice messages, conversations and reports. Our stories are that second kind, and specifically the report: spoken once, then questions in English. We do not do rejoinders or two-person conversations at all, so this is a supplement to the released exams, not a practice test. On level, College Board puts AP Chinese at roughly an intermediate college course, which lands near HSK 4 — so HSK 3–4 is the closest cut, and HSK 5–6 is the stretch once 3–4 feels easy.

Do students have to pay?

No. Students join free with the class code. They only receive the stories you assign — a class does not unlock the full catalog. Pro includes one class of up to 25 students.

What if my class is larger than 25 students?

Pro includes one class of up to 25 students. If you teach more than that, email hello@fluentide.com with how many students you have and how you teach, and we can look at raising the cap for you.

How is this different from the listening worksheet tool?

The worksheet generator turns a transcript or SRT file into a printable lesson. This page is about the audio library itself: one live story, four HSK bands. Many teachers use both — play the story, then print a worksheet from the same text.

For teachers

Chinese listening activities for the classroom

Textbook audio sounds fake and a real news clip blows past half the room. Fluentide records the same story four times, at HSK 1, 2, 3–4 and 5–6, so you can hand the hour a piece of Chinese it can actually hear.

Same news, four listening cuts

One published story, opening lines from each cut. The people and the plot stay put; the sentences get longer and the clauses stack up as the band rises. Open any cut on a speaker. No account.

New York Banned AI for 600,000 Schoolchildren — and the Loudest Critics Say It Didn't Go Far Enough

HSK 1
Open the HSK 1 cut
今天，我们说学校的事。在美国，有一个很大的城市，叫纽约。纽约有很多人，也有很多学校。
Today we are talking about schools. In America there is a very big city called New York. New York has a lot of people, and a lot of schools.
HSK 2
Open the HSK 2 cut
九月二号，纽约做了一件很多人没想到的事。纽约有全美国最大的学校系统。在这个系统里，有六十万个小学生和中学生。
On September the second, New York did something a lot of people did not see coming. New York has the largest school system in America. Inside that system there are six hundred thousand primary and middle school students.
HSK 3-4
Open the HSK 3-4 cut
九月二号，纽约市宣布，六十万个中小学生，在学校里不能再用 AI 了。纽约是全美国最大的学校系统，这六十万人，差不多是里面的三分之二。从幼儿园一直到八年级，全都包括在内。
On September the second, New York City announced that six hundred thousand primary and middle school students may no longer use AI at school. New York runs the largest school system in America, and those six hundred thousand are roughly two-thirds of it. From pre-K all the way to eighth grade, everyone is covered.
HSK 5-6
Open the HSK 5-6 cut
九月二号，纽约市给六十万个孩子按下了暂停键。从幼儿园到八年级，全市公立学校的学生，在校内不能再使用生成式 AI。六十万人，占纽约公立学校学生总数的三分之二左右，而纽约本身是全美最大的学区。
On September the second, New York City pressed pause on six hundred thousand children. From pre-K through eighth grade, students across the city's public schools may no longer use generative AI on school grounds. Six hundred thousand is around two-thirds of New York's public school enrolment, and New York is the largest district in the country.

Play the HSK 3-4 cut in class Browse the full archive

What is in the library

Five ways to teach with one story

Try it on a real hour

Play today’s story in your next lesson

Everything above works from the public library — pick a story, pick a band, press play. An account keeps a level for you and remembers what your class has already heard.