Popup Chinese is a platform for Chinese language study. Founded in 2008, the site provides Chinese podcasts, lessons, and HSK study tools and resources from a studio in downtown Beijing. It is considered a prominent[1] Chinese language program and producer of a large open source Chinese-English dictionary. Beyond its podcasts and audio lessons, the site is known for its mouseover annotations of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature including the Dream of the Red Chamber.[2]
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As of March 2011[update], Popup Chinese was hosting over 900 podcasts, HSK tests and other lessons. In addition to these shows, Popup Chinese also produces a range of other China-related shows, including the Sinica show, recently ranked the best China podcast by City Weekend, the highest-circulation English-language magazine in China.[3] Sinica has been called a "must listen" by The China Beat, a prominent online community for American Sinologists.[4]
Popup Chinese has tens of thousands of active listeners and is the highest-rated Chinese-teaching podcast in the iTunes podcast directory.[5] The site has had shows mentioned repeatedly in Forbes Magazine's China coverage[6] and throughout the blogosphere.[1] The brainchild of Kaiser Kuo, Director of Investor Relations at Baidu and former China bureau chief for Red Herring magazine, Sinica frequently invites prominent China journalists and China-watchers to participate in uncensored discussions with Kaiser on Chinese political and economic affairs. Guests have included Gady Epstein, Mary Kay Magistad of Public Radio International, Tania Branigan of The Guardian, Evan Osnos of The New Yorker, Arthur Kroeber of Dragonomics and Jonathan Watts.[5] Recurring guests involved in entrepreneurship in China include Jeremy Goldkorn of Danwei and Bill Bishop, founder of CBS MarketWatch.[7]
Language Systems, the parent company of Popup Chinese, operates two other language sites, one focusing on the Cantonese language[8] and the other on teaching Chinese to native Spanish speakers. The company was recently funded by the Chilean government to expand its Spanish efforts through the Start-Up Chile program.[8][9] It has stated its plans to expand into additional languages.[8]