After a few years of studying with several different books, I have noticed that their is a pretty significant difference in the quality. I think part of the problem is that there are so many people trying to capitalize on the growing number of people that are trying to learn the language. I say this because there seems to be a ton of books out there, but very few that are of high quality.
Since a lot of my readers study Chinese, I thought it would be helpful if I started posting some reviews. I know how hard it can be to stand in a bookstore flipping through pages, or skimming hundreds of Amazon reviews, in search of the right book.
I got this idea when I was back home going through my old books. I pulled out A New China, which was the book I used when I was studying abroad in Shanghai after my second year of college. I re-read the first 22 or so chapters (my professors would be happy to hear I could do so while only having to look up a couple of characters), and remembered how much I like the book. A New China is part of a series of books by a professor at Princeton University. I managed to get through three of them before graduation, and they really are of a different quality than others I have seen.
A New China is separated into two volumes – the textbook and the grammar/patterns book. The new vocabulary for each lesson is at the bottom of each passage/dialogue, which I find is more convenient than flipping back and forth if you forget a word. The downside is that it is harder to push yourself to learn the words without checking the vocab list.
The material is designed for someone that is studying in China (specifically Beijing). It starts with fairly simple dialogue, and eventually moves to passages that get more complicated as you go on. The early chapters might not be applicable to those that are not in/planning to go to China soon. However, most of the chapters cover interesting topics that will heighten your understanding of the language and culture in China. Everything from dinning etiquette to history, the chapters will expose you to new things about a country that is rapidly changing.
In terms of language, I found that they repeat patterns an phrases in a very effective way. By seeing patterns, words, and phrases repeated in later chapters, it forces you to review, and lets you see them in a different context.
It is a bit pricey, but if you have the discipline to get through it, you’ll learn a lot. It is hard to say what level it is. I used it after my first year in a pretty good university program, so maybe intermediate?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yo wattup.
Thanks for introducing this book:) Do you have any other Chinese text books of high quality to recommend?
还有，你还在坚持学习中文吗？我要向你学习，继续在我的英文上下功夫！
Take care & have fun!