You've spent so many hours reading up on the ancient history of the Roman Empire and eventually decided to visit one of the other great cultures of the world to see all the monuments and cultural heritage for yourself? Great idea, China is a wonderful place and worth a visit, no doubt out about it!
The first thing you will notice on arrival is that these people speak "surprise" Chinese! So a good idea would be to at least get a grasp of what people are talking about. With the ability to speak Chinese you will enjoy your stay so much more. Tour Guides at important archaeological sites usually speak English well, however if you approach them in their own language (don't worry about not speaking Chinese perfect and making mistakes) you will see a different, more positive attitude towards yo.u
Standard Chinese (Putonghua/Guoyu/Huayu) is a standardized form of spoken Chinese based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin. It is the official language of China and Taiwan, as well as one of four official languages of Singapore. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. The written form of the standard language ), based on the logograms known as Chinese characters, is shared by literate speakers of otherwise unintelligible dialects.
Chinese is a fun language to learn and because there are many ways how to do it(by book, course, online, etc.) we thought it might be helpful to collect some interesting and useful information regarding how to learn the Chinese language.
Learning Chinese with Books
|
|
|
|
|
| Each character is shown in both simplified and traditional form, along with its pronunciation and meaning. Information is given about the radical (essential for finding it in a Chinese dictionary) and other components. |
This highly accessible book introduces readers to enough Mandarin Chinese to help them get around in typical travel situations. With pronunciation key and emphasize of the sounds of Chinese words and phrases. |
Developing Writing Skills in Chinese has been devised for post-intermediate students of Chinese who need to write Chinese in the course of their life, work or study. Each unit contains a selection of model texts. |
Reading and Writing Chinese has been the standard text for foreign students and self-teachers of the Chinese Writing System since Tuttle first published it over 20 years ago. This is now a new, completely revised edition. |
This completely new edition of the New Practical Chinese Reader (it will encompass six volumes in seventy lessons when completed) takes the avid student from an absolute beginner to an intermediate level. |
|