Integrated Chinese: Simplified Characters Textbook, Level 1, Part 1 (English and Chinese Edition)

Integrated Chinese: Simplified Characters Textbook, Level 1, Part 1 (English and Chinese Edition) 3rd Edition is a fantastic resource for anyone looking to learn Chinese, especially for modern students and heritage families. As someone who wanted to teach my children how to read and write Chinese, I found this book to be incredibly helpful and engaging.The textbook focuses on everyday use Chinese, making it highly relevant for practical communication. It covers a wide range of topics, from greetings and daily routines to shopping and dining, ensuring that learners will be well-equipped to navigate daily life in a Chinese-speaking environment.The 3rd edition has been thoughtfully updated to reflect modern language use and cultural practices. The authors have done an excellent job at presenting the material in a clear and structured manner, breaking down complex concepts into manageable parts. The lessons are organized in such a way that they build upon each other, allowing students to progress naturally as they gain confidence in their language abilities.One of the standout features of this textbook is the inclusion of both simplified and traditional characters, catering to various learning preferences. The ample exercises, engaging dialogues, and relatable illustrations make the learning process enjoyable and effective.The book also contains a wealth of supplementary materials, such as audio recordings and online resources, which aid in reinforcing the material covered in the textbook. These additional tools make it easier for learners to practice their listening and speaking skills, further enhancing their overall language proficiency.As a heritage family, I found the cultural notes to be particularly valuable. These sections provide fascinating insights into Chinese customs and traditions, fostering a deeper appreciation for the language and culture.In conclusion, Integrated Chinese: Simplified Characters Textbook, Level 1, Part 1 (English and Chinese Edition) 3rd Edition is a highly recommended resource for anyone looking to learn Chinese. Its up-to-date content, clear structure, and engaging materials make it an indispensable tool for teaching and learning this beautiful language.

I love the Integrated Series! As some reviewers have pointed out, the textbook has a modern layout with many colorful graphics and photos, as well as a cast of engaging characters. The cast are Wang Peng, a Chinese freshman from Beijing; Li You, an American student from New York; Gao Wenzhong, an English student; Gao XiaoYin, his older sister who is a school librarian; Bai Ying Ai, a student from Seoul and Chang Laoshi who is from China and teaches Chinese in the United States. These wonderful characters star in all the various dialogues throughout the book.They teach us about hobbies,family, Chinese greetings,making appointments, transportation, shopping and school life, among other things. There are ten chapters in all.Each chapter has two dialogues with vocabulary sections . These vocabulary windows have the traditional characters, pinyin and English translations printed clearly. I really appreciated this as some other books I have used have their characters too small to see the fine strokes clearly. The grammar sections explain everything very well , with explanatory sentences in traditional characters , pinyin and English translations. Again, the layout is neat and logical.This book may not completely meet the needs of English learners, I understand.I speak both Chinese and English; my recommendation for English learners is to supplement with other textbooks if possible. Even though this is Level 1, Part 1 , it assumes a lot. The first is probably that he/she who buys this book has a tutor or is being taught by someone knowledgeable in the language , whether in school or college.At the very least, one should probably have knowledge on how to properly pronounce the four tones. In my opinion, the book assumes fundamental knowledge of very basic Chinese; yes, it does start with simple Chinese words, but if you are looking for very basic words like 'gou' (dog), 'mao' (cat), 'cao' (grass), 'qiu' (ball) etc, you won't find it in a predominant context in this book.That is not to say that this book contains no basic words at all; it does, but leaves out many other basic type words like the ones I mentioned.For English speaking self-learners, I recommend simpler grammar and reading books to start before jumping to these excellent Integrated books. These can be found at [...] and other online retailers.