A Chinese podcast · Same story, 4 levels
Photo: Roger Wo · CC BY 2.0
唱北京奥运会主题歌《我和你》的歌手刘欢去世，享年63岁
Liu Huan, Who Sang the 2008 Beijing Olympics Theme 'You and Me,' Dies at 63
About this story
Liu Huan, one of China's best-loved singers, died of illness in Shanghai on September 25, 2026, at 63. A French major who taught himself piano on an unused campus piano at lunchtime, he became famous for TV theme songs — 'Hero's Song' from Water Margin among them — and sang 'You and Me' with Sarah Brightman at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also taught Western music history at a Beijing university for more than 30 years, and asked for a funeral with no ceremony. Chinese listening practice at four levels. HSK 1 Chinese listening practice.
This is an HSK 1 Chinese listening episode that runs about 2 minutes. The full Mandarin script is shown with tap-for-pinyin and a line-by-line English translation, so you can listen and read at once — comprehensible input in the sense of Stephen Krashen's i+1 theory. It teaches 12 key vocabulary words such as 老师、学生、中午 and walks through 3 grammar patterns, each explained in English with examples. The same news story is retold at 4 difficulty levels — use the level selector above to find the version that is challenging but still understandable for you.
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原文Read the complete story in Chinese. Reveal pinyin and English only when you need them.
English transcript reference
Do you like listening to Chinese songs?
Today, we're talking about a singer.
His name is Liu Huan.
In China, lots of people know Liu Huan.
Lots of Chinese people can sing Liu Huan's songs.
This week, Liu Huan passed away.
When he died, he was sixty-three.
He went to university in Beijing, and he didn't study singing there either.
The university had a piano that nobody used.
At noon, the other students went to eat, and Liu Huan went to play the piano.
He had no teacher; he taught himself.
He played through many, many lunchtimes.
Later, lots of people loved the songs Liu Huan sang.
Liu Huan sang many songs for TV.
In 1998, he sang a TV song called "Hero's Song."
Adults can sing this song, and little kids can too.
In 2008, Beijing held the Olympics.
That day, in Beijing, Liu Huan sang a song called "You and Me."
Lots and lots of people around the world heard this song on TV.
Liu Huan could sing, and he was also a teacher.
He was a teacher at a university in Beijing for more than thirty years.
He taught students and listened to music with them.
Once, someone asked him to go and sing.
That day, he had a class to teach.
Liu Huan didn't go to sing — he went to teach his class.
His university says: Liu Huan was a very good teacher.
After Liu Huan died, his university said: everything should be simple.
That's what Liu Huan himself wanted.
Lots of Chinese people are listening to Liu Huan's songs and thinking of him.
Have you heard Liu Huan's songs?
"Hero's Song" or "You and Me" — which one would you like to hear?
Listen again
Try it without the transcript and notice what sounds clearer.
What vocabulary does this episode teach?
词汇HSK 1. 刘欢会唱歌，也是一个老师 — his other life.
HSK 1. 他给学生上课.
HSK 1. 中午，别的学生去吃饭，刘欢去弹钢琴.
HSK 1. 刘欢唱了很多电视里的歌.
HSK 1. 在中国，很多人都知道刘欢.
HSK 1. 很多人都喜欢刘欢唱的歌.
HSK 2. 唱 (sing) + 歌 (song).
The respectful way to say someone died.
Measure word 台: 一台钢琴. He taught himself on one.
他在北京的一个大学，做了三十多年老师.
一首歌 — never 一个歌.
HSK 3. 什么都要简单 — his wish for his funeral.
* beyond level超纲词
What grammar patterns appear in this episode?
语法……的时候，……
When / at the time of.
他去世的时候，六十三岁。
A，也 B
Adds a second role or fact.
刘欢会唱歌，也是一个老师。
A 还是 B / A 和 B，哪一……？
Asking someone to choose.
《好汉歌》和《我和你》，你想听哪一首？
Proper Nouns
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