Resources for journalists, event organisers, and media professionals.

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Short bio (100 words)

Chris Lonsdale is a New Zealand-born psychologist, linguist, and educator whose TEDx talk "How to Learn Any Language in Six Months" has been viewed over 37 million times, making it one of the most-watched TEDx talks ever recorded. He learned Mandarin Chinese in six months and Cantonese in four months, and is a bestselling author in Chinese under the name 龙飞虎 (Long Feihu). He is the creator of Kungfu English, a learning system that has been profitable in China for 15 years, and co-founder of Speech Genie, a language learning platform powered by Cognitive AI.

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Long bio (300 words)

Chris Lonsdale is a psychologist, linguist, and language learning researcher who has spent over thirty years studying how the human brain acquires language. His TEDx talk "How to Learn Any Language in Six Months" has been viewed more than 37 million times and has been in the TEDx top 10 for over twelve years.

Born in New Zealand, Chris came to China at 21 and learned Mandarin from complete zero to functional fluency in six months. He later moved to Hong Kong and learned Cantonese in four months. His approach — based on brain science, pattern recognition, and meaning rather than grammar translation — challenged the dominant model of language education and resonated with a global audience of language learners.

Chris is a bestselling author in Chinese. His book How to Learn Any Language in 6 Months (6个月学任何一种外语) presented brain-based language acquisition to a Chinese-speaking audience and became a commercial success. Under his Chinese name 龙飞虎 (Long Feihu), he is a recognised authority on learning, human potential, and cross-cultural communication in the Chinese-speaking world.

In 2009, Chris created Kungfu English (功夫英语), a language learning system serving the Chinese market. It was the #1 top grossing app in the China App Store at launch in 2010. The learning system has been profitable for 15 years, proving that brain-based acquisition works at commercial scale.

Chris has delivered four TEDx talks — three in English and one entirely in Mandarin Chinese. He has participated in Robert Swan's Icewalk polar expedition and co-organised an environmental awareness expedition in Southern India.

He is now co-founding Speech Genie (speechgenie.co), a language learning platform powered by John Ball's PATOM Theory and Cognitive AI. Chris's methodology and Ball's PATOM Theory align at the level of core principles — and this convergence powers Speech Genie, delivering brain-based language acquisition through technology that understands meaning.

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Fact sheet

• TEDx talk views: 37,000,000+
• Years in TEDx top 10: 12+
• TEDx talks delivered: 4 (3 English, 1 Mandarin Chinese)
• Languages spoken: English (native), Mandarin Chinese (native-level), Cantonese, and others
• Time to learn Mandarin: 6 months (from zero)
• Time to learn Cantonese: 4 months
• Kungfu English: #1 top grossing app in China App Store at launch (2010). Profitable for 15 years
• Books: How to Learn Any Language in 6 Months (6个月学任何一种外语) — bestseller in Chinese. The Third Ear (第三只耳朵)
• Chinese name: 龙飞虎 (Lóng Fēihǔ)
• Japanese name: クリスロンズデール
• Based in: Hong Kong

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TEDx talk summaries

How to Learn Any Language in Six Months (2013, 37M+ views) Chris presents five principles and seven actions for rapid language acquisition. The talk challenges the assumption that adults can't learn languages the way children do, and presents a brain-based method grounded in psychology and linguistics research.

Breaking the Chains of Belief A talk on how limiting beliefs become self-fulfilling prophecies in language learning and in life. Chris draws on his experience as a psychologist to show how breaking a single assumption can unlock cascading change.

High-Performance Learning (TEDx Zhengzhou, in Mandarin) Chris delivers an entire TEDx talk in Mandarin Chinese — the language he learned in six months — covering high-performance learning strategies for a Chinese audience.

How to Learn Any Language in Six Months — Why You Failed and How You Can Succeed (TEDx Hong Kong, 2026) Chris returns to the TEDx stage to challenge the code model of language learning, introduce pattern recognition and meaning layers as the core to learning a language, and present an overview of language course design that delivers results.

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Downloadable assets

For high-resolution images or additional materials, please contact: chris.lonsdale@chrislonsdale.com

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Media enquiries

For interview requests, speaking enquiries, or press questions:

Email: chris.lonsdale@chrislonsdale.com

For product-related press: Visit speechgenie.co

For company/investment press: Visit languageparent.com