A Kaleidoscope of China: An Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese (The Princeton Language Program: Modern Chinese) - Softcover

Chou, Chih-p'ing; Wang, Jungyu; Chiang, Joanne; Wei, Hua-Hui

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691146918 ISBN 13: 9780691146911

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2010

Synopsis

A Kaleidoscope of China is an advanced Chinese-language textbook that gives students a greater command of Chinese while deepening their understanding of the social and cultural issues facing China today. Geared to the unique needs of students with two or more years of instruction in modern Chinese, this book features a stimulating selection of articles and essays from major newspapers and periodicals in China, offering a revealing look at contemporary Chinese society. Topics include: buying a home versus having a child; consumer exports to America; depression; online dating; cell phones; empty-nest syndrome; fast food; the Virginia Tech massacre; medicine; the 2008 Sichuan earthquake; and global warming. Every selection is accompanied by a vocabulary list, exercises, and grammar notes.


No other Chinese-language textbook so effectively helps advanced students expand their language skills while immersing them in what is truly a kaleidoscope of today's China.

• Teaches advanced Chinese while providing a window into contemporary China


• Features selections from actual Chinese newspapers and periodicals


• Includes vocabulary lists, exercises, and grammar notes


• Ideal for students with two or more years of instruction in modern Chinese

About this title

About the Author

Chih-p`ing Chou is professor of East Asian studies at Princeton University and director of the university's Chinese language and Princeton in Beijing programs. Joanne Chiang is senior lecturer in Chinese at Princeton. Jingyu Wang and Hua-Hui Wei are former lecturers in Chinese at Princeton.

From the Back Cover

"Chou and his colleagues have once again produced a superb Chinese language textbook. This crack team of seasoned teachers is probably the best in the world when it comes to teaching Chinese as a second language. A Kaleidoscope of China presents a veritable feast of fascinating essays. Students will not only find it stimulating but, more importantly, will learn well from it."--James M. Hargett, University at Albany, State University of New York"The well-chosen texts in A Kaleidoscope of China cover a wide spectrum of social and cultural issues in contemporary China. The targeted exercises not only help consolidate grammar points, sentence structures, and vocabulary, but also train students other language skills appropriate at this level. This book will be very well received by students and teachers alike."--Baozhang He, College of the Holy Cross

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

A Kaleidoscope of China

An Advanced Reader of Modern Chinese

By Chih-p'ing Chou, Jingyu Wang, Joanne Chiang, Hua-Hui Wei

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS

Copyright © 2010 Princeton University Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-691-14691-1

PREFACE

A Kaleidoscope of China follows after Anything Goes (PrincetonUniversity Press, 2006) as an advanced Chinese textbook compiled by Chineselanguage teachers in the Department of East Asian Studies at Princeton University.This text is aimed towards students who have already studied two to three years ormore of modern Chinese. If four classes meet each week, it contains enoughmaterial to fill a complete academic year.

As enrollment has surged in recent years, advanced Chinese textbooksnow more than ever need to present diverse genres and pieces of writing, while atthe same time ensuring that all pieces are a reflection of contemporary China.Moreover, today's students view " contemporary China" as "China as it is in thisinstant" or "China at its most current." Textbooks, of course, are not today'snewspapers or news programs: they must be able to stand the test of time. Whencompiling A Kaleidoscope of China, we tried to ensure that the writings selectedwere varied, and that their content was current. The materials includedencompass a multitude of topics, from affairs of state to daily life, from articlesabout pollution to essays on China's rise to global prominence. In recent years,China has truly been changing by the day, and textbooks have often lagged behind.This text also seeks to fill part of the gap that has been created between today'sChina and China as it is portrayed in teaching materials.

Years of teaching experience have taught us that students can't help butfind focusing solely on a single genre or topic monotonous. When preparing thistext, we took special care to include writings focused on many different facets ofcontemporary China.

The writings contained in this text were either written or compiled byProfessor Chih-p'ing Chou. Jingyu Wang, Joanne Chiang and Huahui Weiworked together to create the vocabulary lists, grammar notes, and exercises foreach lesson. We have included a note on the first page of each lesson detailingwhich teacher prepared it. Teng Kuan Ng, Noelle Lyle and Cara Healey lookedover the English sections of each lesson, and offered valuable opinions during theediting process. All teachers in Princeton's Chinese Language Program also mettogether to proofread the final version of this textbook. We extend to them oursincere thanks. Of course, any remaining errors are ours.

A portion of this text has already been field-tested both at PrincetonUniversity and at Princeton in Beijing. It has been well-received by both studentsand teachers.

Chih-p'ing ChouJanuary 14, 2010

(Continues...)

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Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691146918
• ISBN 13: 9780691146911
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 536