Behind Chinestory: Designing a Smarter Way to Learn Chinese

Dr. Haiyan Fan is a published author, TEDx speaker, and creator of Chinestory: Learning Chinese through Pictures and Stories, a pedagogical innovation designed to help curious minds learn the Chinese language through beautiful illustrations and the origin stories behind each character’s creation.

With formal training in Applied Linguistics, UX Design and Artificial Intelligence, Dr. Fan developed a unique approach to mastering this pictograph language. In her TEDx talk, “Learn Chinese in the 21st Century”, she outlined the method of growing a “Chinese language tree” by first learning the “seed” radical and then unlocking 10x more characters that share the same etymological origin.

Her innovative work earned the prestigious 2019 International IF Design Award in the education category. Since moving to Northwest Arkansas three years ago, Dr. Fan has coached students in Mandarin Chinese, leading them to achieve 1st Place in the U.S. National Chinese Speech Contest consecutively in 2023 and 2024. Recognized for her contributions to Chinese education, she was also awarded the 2024 U.S. Heartland China Association Teacher Award. Dr. Fan obtained her dual Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics & Management Information Systems at the University of Arizona, where she worked as a research assistant at the Artificial Intelligence Lab, and Ph.D. degree at Texas A&M University.

📖 Want to know the full Dr.Fan's backstory on this innovator's journey?

Read Dr. Fan’s journey on Medium →

Her innovative approach has earned recognition from global design juries, major learning platforms, educators, parents, and learners alike.

Explore the community voices below to see how Chinestory is making a difference in classrooms, homes, and hearts— including one student who even begged for more homework.

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“If there was any chance at ALL that I could ever learn Mandarin from anyone, anywhere, I’d probably be able to learn from this professor.”
— Great Courses Student

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“Creative, engaging and fun. I took Mandarin 101 years ago in college, and this course did more in 36 minutes than I learned in hours back then.”
— Great Courses student

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“I have tried learning Mandarin using other products with audio. I was never able to learn the tones… With this lesson from Dr. Fan I not only learned to distinguish them but to produce them myself.”
— Great Courses Student

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“I learned more in this 30-min introduction than I have in weeks of 3-hour lessons.”
— Great Courses Student

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“Dr. Fan presents a novel way to teach a language considered difficult by many… Her teaching method is exceptional in allowing the students to be engaged in a pleasant and fun manner.”
— Great Courses Student

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“As a language teacher, I know how hard it is to keep students engaged without losing seriousness. She has enthusiasm and has fun teaching without ever becoming clownish. Chinese is a very difficult language for English-speakers, but with her encouraging style I can actually learn it this time.”
— Great Courses Student, language teacher

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“Can you please give me some homework to do? Pllleeeaaassssseee?????”
— Adam, student
(Dr. Fan’s favorite)

Screen shot of Dr. Fan's pilot episode of Mandarin Chinese class on Great Courses streaming platform

screenshots showing Chinestory's 81 5-star reviews from parents on Outschool — Growth you can see. Happiness you can feel. Chinestory's 5-star reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Screenshot of a parent message praising Dr. Fan's class, saying their child learned more in 2 classes than in 16 weeks of another program, and calling her book fabulous.

Screenshot of a message from a parent in Malaysia expressing eagerness to join Dr. Fan's class, impressed by her approach to teaching Chinese after trying many others.

Screenshot of a YouTube comment from a user who said they were confused after 4 weeks of class but understood Chinese strokes clearly in 15 minutes thanks to Dr. Fan’s video

screenshots showing Chinestory reviews from from Educators

Screenshot of a student message saying, “can you please give at least me some home work to do? plllleeeeaaaassssseeee?????” with exaggerated spelling and punctuation, showing an eager request for more homework.

May the Horse be with you! 🐎✨

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In Chinese philosophy, the horse represents resilience, endurance, and, and unstoppable progress—a spirit that pushes forward despite obstacles.

"May the horse be with you!" -- Chinestory Logo meaning

Before I share the backstory, let me give you the hard truth I’ve discovered through years on the front line — teaching, observing, and constantly searching for better ways to help my students: what learners really need isn’t another tutor or teacher — but a Chinese Learning Strategist.

Explore the community voices below to see how Chinestory is making a difference in classrooms, homes, and hearts— including one student who even begged for more homework.