CHINA

The Way of Chinese Characters

chengtsu — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:07:03 +0000

For non-native speakers of Chinese, learning to write Chinese characters can be one of the most challenging aspects of the language. Learners are often asked to memorize characters by simply writing them over and over again, without a basic understanding of their meanings.

The Way of Chinese Characters offers a more holistic approach to character learning that is fun and accessible, yet firmly grounded in academic research on the origins of Chinese characters. Four hundred of the most essential Chinese characters are presented, each with a concise introduction to its classification and evolution. Illustrations of early writing forms help learners visualize the character's evolution, and cartoon drawings serve as helpful mnemonic devices.

The Way of Chinese Characters is designed for teachers and learners of Chinese at all levels, especially those who are interested in the origins of Chinese characters. The characters presented correspond to the vocabulary introduced in Integrated Chinese, Level 1 Part 1, making The Way of Chinese Characters a perfect character-learning companion for students of Integrated Chinese or any beginning Chinese course.

The book is bilingual, with character entries in traditional and simplified characters with English. Explanatory text is in traditional characters and English; an appendix contains text in simplified characters. Four useful character indices—arranged by lesson, pinyin, traditional stroke count, and simplified stroke count--are also included.

The Moon Is Always Beautiful and Other Essays

Laurel — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:12:11 +0000

The Moon Is Always Beautiful invites students to appreciate the rich textures of traditional and contemporary Chinese culture while sharpening their reading skills. The third in the five-volume Cheng & Tsui Readings in Chinese Culture series, this collection of ten original essays is ideal for intermediate students in the second semester of second-year Chinese, or at the “Intermediate High” level, as designated by ACTFL proficiency guidelines.

Used as a supplement to any intermediate Mandarin Chinese textbook, or as reading material for independent learners, The Moon Is Always Beautiful will refine students’ grasp of Chinese vocabulary and grammar while also strengthening their understanding of Chinese arts, culture, and society.

Given the cultural focus of the AP* and other standardized Chinese exams, teachers will welcome this resource that seamlessly combines language learning with an introduction to both classical and contemporary Chinese culture.

Features:

Each essay of approximately 500 characters is presented in both simplified and traditional characters on facing pages.

Essays cover a range of cultural topics, from the diverse traditions of Chinese architecture to the social impact of The True Story of Ah Q to a survey of regional dialects in China.

A vocabulary list, related words and expressions, and an optional exercise section accompany each lesson.

For students who prefer to read pinyin along with Chinese characters, an appendix of each essay in pinyin is included.

Answer keys at the back of the book help learners gauge their own progress.

Readings in Chinese Culture Series

The Moon Is Always Beautiful is the third in a five-volume series of supplemental reading material that corresponds to five different levels of Chinese proficiency, from beginning through advanced.

*AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China

chengtsu — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:07:03 +0000

Both an illustrated teacher's guide and a textbook, The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China: Primary Source Lessons for Teachers and Students offers teachers and students a treasure trove of resources. Authored by the curriculum specialists at Primary Source, Inc., the book and CD-ROM combine thoughtful lessons with vivid, authentic materials that create opportunities for students to form their own understanding of Chinese culture and artifacts.

The lessons in The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China are organized in a modular way so teachers have the flexibility to select the order in which they teach an entire course. Schools without a course dedicated to Chinese culture may choose one or more chapters as China segments within their existing world studies course. The first of two volumes, The Enduring Legacy of Ancient China will be followed in summer 2008 by a companion on modern China, China in the World.

A lab version (for teachers who wish to use the CD-ROM resources in the classroom) is now available.

China in the World

Laurel — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:49:23 +0000

China in the World (book and CD-ROM set) explores China’s captivating history through engrossing historical narrative and hundreds of primary sources. Unit overviews, introductory essays, and time lines provide the context for appreciating the events and implications of China’s complex history. A wealth of primary sources—imperial edicts, sea captains’ letters, short stories, poetry, essays, posters, photographs, and cartoons—allows students to explore events from multiple perspectives and through many genres. Primary source-based activities foster analytical thinking, hone verbal skills, and ask students to consider history as a complicated, messy, and fascinating subject.

Written by teachers for teachers and students, China in the World serves as a perfect companion to standard world history texts and courses in world literature. It is also ideal for courses on East Asian studies, the history of China, or Chinese language and culture at the high school and college level. The emphasis on document analysis makes it an especially valuable resource for AP* or IB® courses.

The dual-platform CD includes hundreds of full-length documents, full-color images, maps, a bibliography, a glossary, and more, for convenient reference in the classroom or at home.

*AP is a registered trademark of the College Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.

The Secret History of the Mongols

chengtsu — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:07:03 +0000

This adaptation of what is recognized today as the oldest Mongolian text (written two decades after Chingis Khan's death) tells the Mongols' own version of the origin of their nation, the life of Chingis Khan, and the creation of an empire that stretched across Eurasia in the thirteenth century. Adapted from Francis Woodman Cleaves' erudite translation, it is presented here as a narrative poem in colloquial English. An overview of medieval Asia, maps, lineage charts, a glossary of proper names, and a bibliography are included. This expanded edition includes a seventeenth-century account of Chingis Khan's death and a recent essay by the editor.

Chinese Star XP for Windows 2000/XP

chengtsu — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:07:03 +0000

This new Chinese support system designed for Windows 2000 and Windows XP allows users to create documents in Chinese and English, read and write Chinese e-mail, view Chinese web pages and chat in Chinese on the Internet. This latest version is equipped with an improved input feature, "Chinese Star Intelligent Sentence Recognition," that improves input speed by recognizing commonly used words.

Features:

Fully compatible with English version, simplified Chinese version and traditional Chinese version of Windows XP and Windows 2000.
Supports GB 2312 and BIG 5 encoding systems. Includes text encoding converter tools.
Supports the latest popular software: Microsoft Office 2000 and Microsoft Office XP, Internet Explorer 5.5 and 6.0, Adobe Photoshop 6.0 and 7.0, Dreamweaver 4.0 and many 32-bit applications.
Provides multiple input methods including New Pinyin, Shuang Pinyin, Intelligent Sentence Recognition II, Five Stroke, English-Chinese and more.
Includes 10 basic and 7 advanced Simplified and Traditional fonts.
User Manual in Chinese and English. CStar; 2003.

Min. req.: CPU: Pentium 233 or equivalent; Hard Disk: 300M; Memory: 64MB, CD-ROM Drive.

Stories Behind 100 Chinese Idioms

chengtsu — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 20:07:03 +0000

"Moistening each other with saliva" does not mean what you might think, in the richly evocative language of Chinese idioms. These 100 examples reach for their meaning deep into literature, philosophy, and history, and the average learner needs exactly this kind of book to understand. Thorough and well-written, with enough footnotes and bibliographic references to satisfy the most ambitious student. In simplified characters with pinyin and English. (By the way, it means "helping each other as best as you can, given limited means." But we wouldn't have known that without the book!)