The hardest part of learning Chinese is the characters. There are over 2,000 characters to learn. The only way to learn each of the Chinese characters is to practice writing them repetitively.

What if we could integrate this writing practice into our daily routine?

An average person unlocks their phone 110 times a day! And Air Asia took this insight and created the Unlock Han Zi application, a security lock screen that utilizes the “unlock your phone” routine by replacing the normal number code entry with selected Chinese character requests – requiring users to correctly write a specific Chinese character every time they unlock their phone.

The Han Zi application works just like any other screen lock. It allows the users to preselect any Chinese character they wish to practice writing. Once selected, the application then replaces the existing passcode method with the Chinese character lock.

In case the writing doesn’t match after several attempts, the app will revert to the normal passcode access method. Users can then recheck the selected Chinese character or set a new one for practice.

The Han Zi app is available for free download by the general public on Google Play.

• The app has been unlocked more than 1,000,000 times since launched (that’s over a 1,000,000 times Chinese characters have been practiced)

• Unlock Han Zi app has become one of the significant learning tools adopted by 32 Chinese language institutes.

• 21% increase in flights booked to China, compared to the same period last year.