On July 19, a government-sponsored audio textbook database released its third round of updates, which consist of 100 audio texts selected from Chinese language textbooks used in primary and secondary schools.

This database was jointly launched by the Ministry of Education (MOE) and other competent authorities in 2018, which is designed to facilitate Mandarin Chinese learning among 150 million primary and secondary school students in China, especially those in rural areas and minority ethnic regions.

The audio textbooks were recorded by over 100 of the country’s top broadcasters, hosts and sound engineers, and are freely available via a series of websites and apps including the MOE official website, cctv.com, and CRI Online. To date, the previously released 200 audio texts have received a total of 120 million visits.