Introduction Advanced Textbook can be divided into three parts: Lessons 1 to 4; Lessons 5 to 19; and Lessons 20 to 22. The first part mainly introduces Chinese culture in a historical way. The second part covers various aspects from China and abroad. In introducing Chinese and global celebrities, for example, we choose topics about Sun Yat-sen, Mei Lanfang, Marco Polo and Bill Gates to profile their life or personality. And even in other common stories, the characters also show a profound personality or a traditional moral attitude towards life and culture. The learner can sense out something typical in the common Chinese of all walks of life, young or old, male or female. The third part explains some focused issues of present China, introducing some topics about China’s peasants, population control, education, economical development and environmental protection, etc., which are mainly concerned by many curious foreigners. Adavanced Workbook continues some exercises on Word-building, Phrase, New Words and Grammar within a more difficult sense. The new exercise “Fill in the blanks with the words in the text” is designed to improve the learner’s comprehension of the text. If the learner cannot understand the text, he/she will not remember and know how to use the words and expressions properly. “Topic Exercise” and “Dialogue Exercise”, of course, require the learner to express him/herself in Chinese in a more proper way. Advanced Textbook is designed for about 4 to 6 hours’ study per week for about one year’s teaching.
Zheng Guoxiong
(International Cultural Exchange School of Fudan University)
Shortly after the publication of New Concept Chinese ( by Beijing Languages & Culture University Press), I edited a second series of Chinese textbooks entitled Chinese for English-Speakers, mainly for the Europeans and Americans, hoping to make the Chinese-language-learning interesting and practical. Here, “interesting” means that we have tried our best to find some interesting topics and contents for the reader; while “practical” means that the words, expressions and sentences in the texts are frequently used in Chinese daily life.
Now this new series of Chinese for English-Speakers mainly distinguish itself in the following four aspects:
First, we have enriched the vocabulary with A-level words. Primary Textbook and the first ten lessons in Intermediate Textbook have almost covered all the 1,033 A-level words, which are the most frequently used words in daily life and henceforth make a basic knowledge for the learner and prepare the reader for a further learning of Chinese language.
Second, we have paid special attention to grammar and main points in Chinese language learning. For example, the classifier (or the measure word) is always regarded as being the most difficult in Chinese language teaching and learning for an English speaker. So in this series of Chinese for English-Speakers, we have changed the usual detached teaching method of classifier-learning and, instead, focused on teaching the classifier (or the measure word) in a condensed way, e.g., the lesson We’re Singing the Song of Classifiers together with Please Tell Me the Classifiers in Primary Textbook may impress you somehow as funny and functional as well.
Third, the topics and contents of this Chinese for English-Speakers are deliberately chosen for 3 reasons: 1) trying to show the history and traditional culture of China; 2) to reflect the focused issues of modern China; 3) to explain the moral attitude of Chinese people and the difference between Chinese and foreign cultures.
All the topics and materials in the textbooks are selected through repeated comparisons, a planned survey and from experimental teaching in order to be objective and up-to-date. In introducing Chinese and global celebrities, for example, we choose topics about Confucius, Sun Yat-sen, Lu Xun, Mei Lanfang, Marco Polo and Bill Gates to profile their life or personality. As for the introduction of China’s geography and famous scenery, we only select some typical ones for a brief and concise introduction. Since the cities always reflect truthfully the modern life of a country, we choose Beijing — capital of PRC and a city with a long history — and Shanghai — a modern metropolitan as our topics. On the focused issues of present China, we introduce some topics about China’s peasants, population control, education, economical development and environmental protection, etc., which are mainly concerned by many curious foreigners.
Fourth, we have designed in the supplementary workbooks a large amount of exercises and have paid special attention to the reappearing and use of the new words and expressions, the important grammar and syntax in the textbooks. Therefore the reader can review what he/she has learned from the texts and master the skill of the language by practice.
Altogether this series of Chinese for English-Speakers has 3 levels: Primary Level, Intermediate Level and Advanced Level. Each of them includes a textbook and a workbook besides a Primary Character Book for beginners’ imitation. There’re 22 lessons in each textbook for foreign learners at certain level. Each textbook is designed for about 4 to 6 hours’ study per week for about one year’s teaching. While Primary Character Book is designed for the beginner to practice writing about 5 to 7 Chinese characters every day, i.e., 25 to 35 characters per week (from Monday to Friday).
Last but not least, this series of Chinese for English-Speakers is edited in both original complex and simplified form of Chinese characters for the learner’s sake that he/she can choose to learn according to his/her pleasure. Actually, I myself quite agree with Mr. Yuan Xiaoyuan that the foreigner may learn Chinese in a way that they can “know the original complex form but write in simplified one.” The reason is that you will not be able to read the Chinese newspaper printed abroad or the original text of Chinese classics without knowing the original complex form; and similarly you will have difficulty in taking notes if you cannot write in simplified form. That’s, of course, my own humble opinion for your reference.
Above all, I’m obliged to Prof. Zhu Yongsheng, Dean of International Cultural Exchange School of Fudan University, for his sincere help and support.
3 Lesson 1 Mountains in China
Lesson 2 The Great Wall
Lesson 3 The Silk Road
Lesson 4 The Misunderstanding of Chinese Characters
Lesson 5 The Most Beautiful Scenery
Lesson 6 A Love Story about the Fish Eyes
Lesson 7 I Must Cherish My Life
Lesson 8 Infinite Hope
Lesson 9 Sun Yat-sen and “Sir”
Lesson 10 Marco Polo
Lesson 11 Mei Lanfang and Peking Opera
Lesson 12 Bill Gates
Lesson 13 Wanted: A Wife
Lesson 14 Shanghai Women
Lesson 15 An Old Man and a Little Bird
Lesson 16 The Living Buddha and Environmental Protection
Lesson 17 Reincarnation
Lesson 18 Difference between Chinese Culture and American Culture
Lesson 19 Europeans
Lesson 20 Peasants’ Problems in China
Lesson 21 The DINKs in China
Lesson 22 A Lesson the Chinese Kids Should Make Up
Index of Grammar
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