Six flatmates share a home near Dongmen Station in Taipei: Amara, Meihui, Yuko, Junhao, Lucas, and their kind landlady, Mrs. Wang. Through everyday situations — cooking together, working, studying, exploring the city, celebrating small joys, and learning to live with each other — their stories capture the warmth of strangers becoming like family.
Series Overview: Dongmen Stories
This 28-episode graded reader series follows the lives of six flatmates sharing a home near Dongmen Station in Taipei. Through everyday situations — cooking, working, studying, exploring the city, and celebrating small joys — learners build practical Chinese vocabulary and natural grammar patterns while connecting with relatable characters from different backgrounds.
Vocabulary Focus:
- Daily life & household (kitchen, room, living room, refrigerator)
- Food & dining (xiaolongbao, bento box, scallion pancakes, ice cream)
- Travel & directions (station, go downstairs, convenience store, night market)
- Emotions & opinions (homesick, happy, warm, attentive, satisfied)
- Work & study (work, Chinese class, paint/draw, bank, salary)
- Relationships & communication (message, phone call, thank you, help, friend)
Grammar Focus:
- Essential sentence patterns (completed action marker, ongoing action marker, very, a little)
- Connector patterns (while…while, more and more, although…but)
- Time expressions (already, still/yet, then, immediately, often/frequently)
- Modals and imperatives (can, don’t, want, want to)
- Comparison structures (compared to before, same, different)
Course Structure
- Weekly Format: 7 stories per week (one per day) for systematic, immersive learning
- Week 1-2: Foundational vocabulary and basic sentence patterns. Introduce characters, the flat, and daily routines. Build confidence with short, simple sentences and high-frequency words.
- Week 3-4: Intermediate expressions and everyday situations. Deeper character development, emotional moments, and longer narratives. Introduce more complex vocabulary and natural conversational phrases.
Course Syllabus
Week 1
窗外的台北 – Taipei Outside the Window
一起喝茶 – Drink tea together
带你去看看 – Take you to see
灯还亮着 – The light is still on
你们吃了吗 – Have you eaten?
Recap: 王太太来了 – Recap: Mrs. Wang is here
Week 2
你看什么书 – What book are you reading
客厅的光 – Light in the Living Room
手机里的中文 – Chinese in the Phone
从车站走回家 – Walking home from the station
晚上的小笼包 – Small steamed buns at night
一起吃便当 – Eat lunch together
Week 3
雨一直下 – The rain keeps falling
细心的他 – Careful him
累了还是去了 – Tired or gone
音乐和跳舞 – Music and dancing
Recap: 慢慢来，别着急 – Recap: Take it slow, don’t rush
日本口音 – Japanese accent
Week 4
请大家吃 – Treat everyone to a meal
一杯热茶 – A cup of hot tea
喜欢台湾吗 – Do you like Taiwan?
不一样的台北 – A Different Taipei
请尝尝 – Please taste it
我陪你去 – I’ll go with you.
Week 5
给你 – Give it to you
坐在门口 – Sitting at the door
王太太的葱油饼 – Mrs. Wang’s Scallion Pancakes
Recap: 像家一样 – Recap: Like Home
Perfect For
- Learners building vocabulary for HSK 3.0 Band 1-2
- Those who want to move beyond textbook dialogues into real stories
- Students interested in practical Chinese for daily life in Taiwan
- Self-directed readers who want structured, engaging content with emotional depth
- Learners who benefit from repeated vocabulary in meaningful contexts