Chinese eBooks & Reading Platforms
Find Chinese books and reading material ranging from learner-friendly texts to advanced native content. These resources can help you build vocabulary, improve comprehension and become more comfortable reading Chinese.
Before buying new, see our resource list for finding Chinese learning books through libraries, used-book sellers, marketplaces, and a tool for comparing prices.
eBook Stores & Reading Platforms
★ Best for intermediate and advanced learners who want authentic Chinese reading material across a wide range of topics. 24Reader is a Chinese ebook platform offering thousands of licensed books, magazines and comics from Hong Kong, Taiwan, China and Japan, with plenty of material for learners who want to practice reading with native content. The app is free to download, but most full content requires either an individual purchase or a paid subscription; some titles also provide free previews. Books can be downloaded for offline reading, and the catalog includes fiction, lifestyle, education, language learning and many other categories. Available on U.S. app stores: Android and iOS.
Paid Web-Based
★ Search Apple Books for Chinese ebooks, including both free titles and books available for purchase. Apple Books is a free reading app for Apple devices with no subscription required. Search terms such as “Chinese books” or “Chinese language” to browse ebooks that may include Chinese-language fiction, classics, children’s books and other reading material. Individual titles may be free or paid, and selection can vary by region. Available on iOS.
Free & Paid Content / App
★ Browse Chinese-language Kindle ebooks in both Simplified and Traditional Chinese. Amazon’s Kindle Store offers Chinese ebooks across fiction, nonfiction, classics and other genres. Browse Simplified Chinese ebooks or Traditional Chinese ebooks, then read your purchases on a Kindle device or with the free Kindle app. Most ebooks are paid, although prices vary, free samples are often available, and some titles may be included with Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. The Kindle app also offers useful reading features such as dictionaries, translations, highlighting and adjustable text size. Available on Android and iOS.
Free Samples / Paid
★ Best for intermediate and advanced learners who want authentic Chinese reading material. Baidu Reading (百度阅读) is a Chinese eBook and reading platform with novels, classics, nonfiction, popular books, comics and audiobooks. The app is free to download, and many titles can be read for free, while other books and VIP access require purchases or a subscription. Because the platform is designed primarily for native Chinese readers rather than language learners, expect Chinese-first content without graded reading levels or extensive learner support. Available on U.S. app store: iOS.
Free / Paid
★ A large Chinese e-book store with both free reads and paid titles across many genres. Dangdang Cloud Reading (当当云阅读) is the digital reading service from Dangdang, offering Chinese-language e-books, audiobooks, novels, literature, history, children’s books and more. The site includes a dedicated selection of free e-books, while many other titles are sold individually; the app also offers optional paid subscriptions and in-app purchases. The interface is primarily in Simplified Chinese, making it best suited to intermediate and advanced readers. Available on U.S. app store: iOS.
Free / Paid
★ Offers extensive native Mandarin audio, courses, e-books, and book summaries for listening and reading practice. 得到 (Dedao) is a Chinese knowledge and lifelong-learning platform featuring expert-led courses, e-books, audio book summaries, lectures, and other educational content across subjects such as history, science, business, economics, and culture. The app is free to download and offers previews and some free content, while many courses, books, and other resources require individual purchases or a membership. Available on the web, Android and iOS.
Free / Paid
★ Kobo offers a large selection of Chinese-language ebooks, including novels, popular fiction and books for Mandarin learners. Rakuten Kobo is an ebook store and reading platform where you can browse Chinese titles in a variety of genres. Most books are individually priced, although some titles are free and selected books are included with the paid Kobo Plus subscription. You can purchase books through Kobo and read them on a Kobo eReader or with the free Kobo Books app on your phone or tablet. Available on Android and iOS.
Free / Paid Web-Based
★ A large source of native Traditional Chinese ebooks and audiobooks for intermediate and advanced readers. Readmoo 讀墨 is a Taiwanese ebook store and reading platform with hundreds of thousands of Traditional Chinese titles, including books, magazines and audiobooks. Readers can use the web reader or apps with features such as offline reading, cloud syncing, vertical or horizontal text, adjustable fonts, bookmarks and annotations. The reader app is free, while ebooks are generally purchased individually, and optional subscription plans provide unlimited access to selected ebooks, magazines and audiobooks. Available on U.S. app stores: Android and iOS.
Free / Paid
★ A huge Chinese ebook library with popular novels, nonfiction, audiobooks and reader discussions. WeRead (微信读书), from Tencent, offers a large collection of Chinese ebooks across fiction, literature, history, self-improvement and other categories, with reading notes, highlights, community comments, audiobooks and AI reading tools. The service includes free reading opportunities and promotions, while some books and features require a paid membership or separate purchase. U.S. users can access the website and the official mobile apps, although signing in with WeChat may be easier because phone-number login can require a mainland Chinese number. Available on U.S. app stores: Android and iOS.
Free / Paid Web-BasedNative Chinese Reading & Web Fiction
★ Authentic Chinese long-form reading with essays, cultural content and multimedia extras for advanced learners. Duku 读库 is a native Chinese reading app built around the 《读库》 publication, offering substantial Chinese-language reading along with supplementary material such as interviews, behind-the-scenes information, follow-up content, audio and video. It is designed for native readers rather than language learners, so there are no graded levels, pinyin or built-in learner tools, making it best suited to upper-intermediate and advanced readers. The app is free to download, but much of the content is tied to paid membership or individual purchases. Available on iOS.
Free / Paid iOS App
★ Best for intermediate and advanced learners who want to read authentic Chinese web fiction written for native speakers. Qidian (起点中文网) is one of China’s largest platforms for original online fiction, with a huge selection of serialized novels in genres such as fantasy, xianxia, wuxia, romance, urban fiction, history, science fiction and gaming. The site is primarily in Simplified Chinese and is designed for native readers, making it a good source of extensive reading practice for more experienced learners. Many novels offer free chapters, while later VIP chapters and other premium content may require payment using Qidian’s virtual currency or a membership. Available on iOS.
Free & Paid Web-Based / App
★ A large Chinese-language reading library with free and VIP fiction across many popular genres. Sina Novel (新浪小说 / 微博读书) offers a substantial collection of native Chinese fiction, including romance, fantasy, wuxia and xianxia, mystery, science fiction and contemporary stories. It is best suited to intermediate and advanced learners looking for authentic reading material rather than graded content. Some chapters and works can be read for free, while other content is designated as VIP and requires payment. Users outside China can access the website, but should expect to log in through WeChat and use WeChat Pay to purchase paid content.
Free & Paid Content Web-Based