GraphChinese vs The Chairman's Bao for learning Chinese
Twelve months of The Chairman's Bao cost $88 on its yearly plan. 11,095 lessons (homepage counter); new articles added daily (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access and runs from HSK 0 to HSK 6, with 102 narrated readings inside the course.
Which should you choose?
- Choose GraphChinese if you want the course itself and not only the reading: 829 topics from the four tones to HSK 6 in dependency order, with grammar, stroke-order writing, reviews that bring back what you are losing, and 102 narrated graded readings placed inside the lessons they fit.
- Choose The Chairman's Bao (TCB) if a course or a teacher already decides what you learn, and what you need now is a lot of fresh, topical reading at your level. 11,095 lessons (homepage counter); new articles added daily (source, checked Oct 2026), which is far more reading than our 102 passages.
- Switching is not worth it if a course you trust already orders your study and checks it, and The Chairman's Bao is your daily reading on top. Each is then doing its own job, and a second course would mostly repeat the first.
The Chairman's Bao is a graded reader built on current news: articles written at your level, with audio, a dictionary and flashcards. GraphChinese is a course from HSK 0 to HSK 6 with 102 narrated readings inside it. The Chairman's Bao has the larger and newer library by a wide margin.
GraphChinese covers grammar, writing and reviews topic by topic toward an HSK level, and reading is one part of that.
The Chairman's Bao (TCB) and GraphChinese side by side
| The Chairman's Bao (TCB) | GraphChinese | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $11 per month (the 1-month card also shows '$6.6 / month' without explanation); $27.50 every 3 months; $49.50 every 6 months; $88 per year; $154 every 2 years (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | $49 once, yours for life |
| Free tier | Free sample lesson at each level after registering (source, checked Oct 2026) | A free 28-question HSK placement test, no signup (source, checked Oct 2026); Free without an account: a demo with real lessons, the dictionary, the grammar reference, HSK word lists, free tests and tools (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Trial and refund | Individual plans are single-user; sharing leads to cancellation without refund; auto-renew unless cancelled (source, checked Oct 2026, archived) | Not for you? Email and we refund it (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Levels | Levels 1-6 on the homepage; Level 7 articles also appear in its blog listings (source, checked Oct 2026) | One course from HSK 0 (tones, pinyin, stroke order, radicals) through HSK 6 (source, checked Oct 2026); Most HSK 6 vocabulary topics are cut alphabetically, not by theme or dependency (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Characters and writing | Stroke order in the live dictionary with writing practice (source, checked Oct 2026) | Stroke-order writing practice, on by default for learners who start from zero and switchable for everyone else (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Spaced repetition | Flashcards grouped by how well each word is mastered; algorithm not published (source, checked Oct 2026) | flashcards are scheduled by FSRS; course topics come back on a mastery-review schedule (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Content | 11,095 lessons (homepage counter); new articles added daily (source, checked Oct 2026) | 829 topics in prerequisite order; jump ahead or claim one, and reviews check it (source, checked Oct 2026); 102 narrated graded readings, Foundations to HSK 6 (source, checked Oct 2026); 38 built-in flashcard decks (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| Audio | Human-recorded audio for each article at a level-appropriate speed (source, checked Oct 2026) | — |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android (source, checked Oct 2026) | Runs in the browser on phone and desktop; there is no app to install (source, checked Oct 2026) |
— means our research sheet has no sourced fact for that row, not that the product lacks it.
Same learner, 12 and 24 months
| 12 months | 24 months | |
|---|---|---|
| The Chairman's Bao (TCB) | $88: $88 per 12 months, US list price, before tax (source, checked Oct 2026) | $154: $154 per 24 months, US list price, before tax (source, checked Oct 2026) |
| GraphChinese | $49: $49 one-time, US list price, before tax | $49: $49 one-time, US list price, before tax |
US list prices before tax, cheapest published path to that much access.
What The Chairman's Bao (TCB) does well
- The library is huge and keeps growing. 11,095 lessons (homepage counter); new articles added daily (source, checked Oct 2026).
- It reaches past the usual six levels. Levels 1-6 on the homepage; Level 7 articles also appear in its blog listings (source, checked Oct 2026).
- Every article can be heard as well as read. Human-recorded audio for each article at a level-appropriate speed (source, checked Oct 2026).
- Characters are not skipped. Stroke order in the live dictionary with writing practice (source, checked Oct 2026).
- It runs where you are. Web, iOS, Android (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese runs in the browser and has no app to install.
Where The Chairman's Bao does not help
- It is a reader first. Its pages describe articles, audio, a dictionary and flashcards. GraphChinese adds 195 grammar points from HSK 1 to HSK 6 and a route of 829 topics around its readings.
- The scheduler is not published. Flashcards grouped by how well each word is mastered; algorithm not published (source, checked Oct 2026). If you care how your reviews are timed, you cannot check.
- There is little to try first. Free sample lesson at each level after registering (source, checked Oct 2026).
- It renews until you stop it. Individual plans are single-user; sharing leads to cancellation without refund; auto-renew unless cancelled (source, checked Oct 2026). $88 per year (source, checked Oct 2026) GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access, readings included.
Reading is a component, and it is already in here
GraphChinese has 102 graded passages from Foundations to HSK 6, written to the vocabulary a learner holds at each level. Each is narrated with per-character timing, so the text highlights as it is read, and each ends in comprehension questions.
A passage is offered inside the lessons it fits, and its sentences come back later as exercises and flashcards. Every cover and summary is at /read; the passages themselves are for members.
That is far fewer readings than The Chairman's Bao, and none of them is news.
What surrounds them is the course: 829 topics from the four tones through HSK 6 grammar, each served after what it rests on (most HSK 6 vocabulary topics are alphabetical slices of the word list rather than a dependency order), stroke-order writing, course topics brought back on a mastery-review schedule, and FSRS for flashcard decks including any Anki deck you import.
If you finish our readings at your level and want daily news, The Chairman's Bao is a good place to get it.
If you are switching from The Chairman's Bao (TCB)
- Take the free placement test and start at your level.
- Check the renewal date before you move. Individual plans are single-user; sharing leads to cancellation without refund; auto-renew unless cancelled (source, checked Oct 2026).
- Your saved words do not come across. If you keep vocabulary in Anki, GraphChinese imports the
.apkgwith its audio and images; review history does not come across, so those cards start fresh. - You do not have to choose. A course plus a news reader is a sensible pairing once you are past the first levels.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Chairman's Bao or GraphChinese better for learning Chinese?
They do different jobs. The Chairman's Bao is a graded news reader with audio, a dictionary and flashcards, and its library is much larger than ours. GraphChinese is a course from HSK 0 to HSK 6 on a dependency graph of 829 topics, with grammar, stroke-order writing, reviews and 102 narrated graded readings inside it. If you need a course, GraphChinese; if you already have one and want daily reading, The Chairman's Bao.
How much does The Chairman's Bao cost?
Its plans page lists five plans. $11 per month (the 1-month card also shows '$6.6 / month' without explanation) (source, checked Oct 2026) $27.50 every 3 months (source, checked Oct 2026) $49.50 every 6 months (source, checked Oct 2026) $88 per year (source, checked Oct 2026) $154 every 2 years (source, checked Oct 2026) Free sample lesson at each level after registering (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese is $49 once for lifetime access, readings included.
What levels does The Chairman's Bao cover?
Levels 1-6 on the homepage; Level 7 articles also appear in its blog listings (source, checked Oct 2026). GraphChinese runs from HSK 0 to HSK 6 and maps every topic to an HSK level.
Can I use The Chairman's Bao and GraphChinese together?
Yes, and it is a sensible pairing once you are past the first levels: GraphChinese decides what you learn and checks it, The Chairman's Bao adds daily reading. Start with the course, and add the news when our readings run out at your level.
How this comparison was made
Written by Carson, who makes GraphChinese, the product being compared. 13 facts about The Chairman's Bao (TCB), checked 15 October 2026: all 13 from The Chairman's Bao (TCB)’s own pages and store listings. Archived copies of price pages are linked where we have them. The sheet behind this page is public at /data/compare/the-chairmans-bao.json; tell us if anything is out of date at /contact.
See the whole path instead of reading about it. The demo on the front page runs real lessons from the course, and the placement test, dictionary and grammar reference are free, no signup. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
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