The Country of the Blind: a Free Chinese Graded Reader
盲人之国 is a 12-chapter Chinese graded reader adapted from H.G. Wells's classic story, written for HSK 3 learners. Read it free with a tap-anywhere dictionary, pinyin when you want it, audio, and flashcards built from the words you look up.
Read the opening lines
From 第一章：山谷的传说. In the full reader, pinyin only appears when you ask for it, and tapping any word opens the dictionary.
lín林kě可zuò坐zài在chá guǎn茶馆de的jiǎo luò角落lǐ里。
rè qì热气cóng从chá wǎn茶碗lǐ里màn màn慢慢shēng qǐ升起，kōng qì空气lǐ里piāo飘zháo着chá yè茶叶hé和mù tou木头de的wèi dao味道。
sì zhōu四周de的rén人shuō huà说话shēng声hěn很xiǎo小，dàn shì但是chá guǎn茶馆lǐ里yě也suàn算bù不shàng上ān jìng安静。
lín林kě可hē喝le了yī一kǒu口chá茶，què却méi yǒu没有cháng尝chū出chá茶de的wèi dao味道，tā他nǎo zi脑子lǐ里zài在xiǎng想bié de别的shì事……
The story continues for 12 chapters. Create a free account to keep reading with the full toolkit.
All 12 chapters
- 第一章：山谷的传说985 字
- 第二章：雾947 字
- 第三章：无窗之村1,160 字
- 第四章：病石1,602 字
- 第五章：眼睛有什么用1,623 字
- 第六章：独自站立1,276 字
- 第七章：菜园里的相遇1,735 字
- 第八章：无法翻越的山1,454 字
- 第九章：赵长老的条件1,662 字
- 第十章：最后三天1,441 字
- 第十一章：天亮前离开1,560 字
- 第十二章：看不清1,252 字
Why read a graded reader instead of a textbook?
Textbook dialogues teach you sentences. Stories teach you the language. When you read a book written at your level, you meet the same high-frequency words dozens of times in real contexts, and that repetition is what moves vocabulary from "I've seen it" to "I know it." Reading volume is the single most reliable predictor of vocabulary growth, and graded readers are how you get that volume before native material is within reach.
This adaptation keeps Wells's story intact while staying inside HSK 3 vocabulary, so the challenge comes from the story, not the grammar. And because it runs in Chenjin's reader, every unknown word is one tap from its meaning, pronunciation, and stroke order, and one more tap from your flashcard deck.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Chinese graded reader?
A graded reader is a book written (or adapted) with a controlled vocabulary so learners can read it comfortably at their level. Instead of stopping every sentence to look things up, you read mostly words you know, which builds speed, confidence, and real reading stamina.
What level is this book?
It's written for HSK 3 (HSK 3.0 standard). If you know roughly 600 to 900 words, you should be able to follow the story comfortably, and the built-in dictionary covers anything unfamiliar with one tap.
Is it really free?
Yes. The Country of the Blind is Chenjin's free graded reader: all 12 chapters are readable on a free account, with the tap dictionary, pinyin controls, and audio included. No credit card is needed.
Why do I need an account to read it?
The reader tracks which words you know, syncs your progress across chapters, and feeds new words into your flashcard review. All of that needs somewhere to save, and that's what the free account is.
Start reading tonight
All 12 chapters are free with a Chenjin account, along with the tap dictionary, spaced-repetition flashcards, and three free library articles a day.
Create a free accountFree forever plan · no credit card required