Speak First, Figure It Out Later: How Jack Turned Chinese into a Superpower

In this episode, Jared chats with Jack Mullinkosson, whose Chinese-learning journey runs from a Vice China documentary set… to living with a Chinese immigrant family in suburban California… to studying in Chengdu… and now biking from Chengdu to Hanoi.

Jack got started the way many learners do: by feeling left out. On set, surrounded by Chinese speakers, he noticed how differently the foreigners who spoke Mandarin were treated. Chinese looked like a superpower, and he wanted it.

With plenty of downtime during the shoot, Jack began studying characters and survival phrases, boosted by the classic “Your Chinese is so good!” encouragement (even when it wasn’t). That early confidence turned into a full-on obsession.

Then COVID hit, and Jack found a creative workaround. Back in the U.S., he made a flyer in Chinese offering to live with a Chinese family in exchange for helping their kids with English. The result: four months in a Rancho Cucamonga “McMansion” shared by multiple Chinese families, nightly Mandarin dinners, and a crash course in immigrant hustle and real-world language practice.

Along the way, Jack:

• Read Mandarin Companion graded readers to build his foundation

• Used shadowing to level up tones and pronunciation

• Looked for chances to speak—even when it was inconvenient

• Turned everyday errands into “Chinese missions”

After a few years in Brazil, where he learned Portuguese and became a remote software engineer, Jack returned to China with a new goal: connect Chinese to his career. He now makes videos in Chengdu, capturing spontaneous conversations with park shūshu fitness legends, friendly aunties selling plum wine, and locals who light up when a foreigner speaks Mandarin.

And one of the coolest payoffs? While traveling in Spain, Jack used Chinese to order food from a Chinese restaurant owner when neither of them shared English or Spanish.

Links from the episode:

• Jack Mullinkosson | Instagram

• Mandarin Companion Graded Readers