What the app is

Chinese Story Garden helps readers learn Chinese through illustrated stories. Each story can be read with or without pinyin, at three text sizes, and read aloud. Pressing and holding Chinese text gives its sound, pinyin and meaning; story vocabulary can be saved to a flash-card deck. Finishing a story earns taels, which unlock cards about cities, food, treasures, zodiac animals, and wildlife.

Each reader gets a separate profile with their own words, progress, and rewards.

Common questions

There is no sound when a story is read aloud

Narration uses the Chinese voices installed on your device. If no Mandarin voice is present, the app falls back to a silent read-along — the underline still moves through the text. To add a voice: Settings → Accessibility → Spoken Content → Voices → Chinese.

How do I switch between English and Chinese?

The toggle is at the top right of the home screen. Your choice is remembered for each reader.

How do I add another child?

Tap the reader's name at the top of the home screen, then Add reader. Each reader keeps their own words, taels, rewards and progress.

Will we lose progress?

Progress is saved on the device. Deleting the app removes it. In the iPhone and iPad app, use Back up in Settings and choose Save to Files, iCloud Drive, AirDrop, or another destination. You can restore that JSON backup later.

What is iCloud sync?

It is not active yet. It is planned for a future iPhone and iPad update and will copy reader profiles to your own private iCloud so progress moves between your devices. See the privacy policy.

Does it work offline?

Yes. The installed iPhone and iPad app bundles its stories, pictures, cards and learning tools, so they work without an internet connection from the first launch.

Does it collect any data about my child?

No. There is no account, no analytics, no tracking and no advertising, and nothing leaves the device. The privacy policy sets this out in full.

Reporting a problem

Email support.storygarden@gmail.com. It helps to include:

• The device and iOS version (Settings → General → About)
• The version number shown at the bottom of the app's Settings screen
• What you were doing, and what happened instead
• A screenshot, if the problem is something you can see