Chinese Link: Zhongwen Tiandi Simplified Character Version is a dynamic, learner-centered textbook for beginning students of modern Chinese. Its communicative focus helps students develop their competencies in the four basic skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing the Chinese language and allows for practice through an abundance of in-text activities. In addition a strong cultural component is provided in the end of chapter Chinese Link section, giving the learner exposure to Chinese culture and opportunities to explore further through different activity types. In addition, each version of the text presents vocabulary in both the simplified and traditional versions giving the learner exposure to both character types.
Sue-mei Wu , Ph.D., Lecturer of Chinese in the Modern Languages Department at Carnegie Mellon University, is currently undergoing the promotion process to associate teaching professor. She is the project leader and primary author for the Chinese Link textbook project. She has a Ph.D in linguistics, with a minor in language pedagogy and solid experience teaching Chinese at all levels. After receiving her Ph.D in linguistics from The Ohio State University in 1997, where she served as a graduate teaching associate for over four years, she taught Chinese at Harvard University from 1997-2000. She has been the coordinator for Elementary Chinese at CMU since she joined the CMU faculty in Fall 2000. She has received CMU Faculty Development Fund (2000, 2002) and Falk Grant (2001, 2003) awards to support developing online language and culture modules and incorporating them into Chinese courses at CMU. She is currently the co-author of a new textbook being developed at CMU for heritage learners, and co-author and chief editor of a new Classical Chinese textbook, written in cooperation with scholars from other institutions.
Yueming Yu , PhD., is an Associate Teaching Professor and Coordinator of the Chinese Program of the Department of Modern Languages at CMU and co-author of this project. She came to CMU in 1992 to start the Chinese Program at the Department of Modern Languages and has been the Coordinator of the program ever since. She has 35 years of experience in teaching a foreign language. She was an Associate Professor of English as well as the coordinator of the International Journalism Program at the Shanghai International Studies University before she came to the US. She was also one of the founding members of the English newspaper (Students Weekly) in Shanghai and a pioneer for the English News Program of Radio Shanghai. She has translated several books from English to Chinese, and compiled English-Chinese dictionaries. Her doctoral dissertation was a research on the criteria used in the selection of textbooks for teaching Chinese in the United States. Her current research focuses on pedagogical issues in Chinese language education with an emphasis on the relationship between teaching the language and teaching the culture, including a special focus on the teaching of heritage students. She is also the project leader of another textbook of Chinese for heritage students.
Yanhui Zhang , Instructor of Chinese in the Modern Languages Department at Carnegie Mellon University, is a co-author and an editor for the project. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at CMU, teaching Elementary Chinese I and II. She is also a graduate student of MCALL (Masters of Computer Assisted Language Learning) and has recently started her Ph.D program in second language acquisition at CMU. She has taught various levels of English as well as English for business management in China. She is currently working on a project for the computer-assisted learning of Chinese language and culture.
Linda Tian , Instructor of Chinese in the Modern Languages Department at Carnegie Mellon University, is a co-author and an editor for the project. She obtained her BA in English Language and Literature from Peking University, one of the most prestigious universities in mainland China. She has taught various levels of English as well as English for business management at a University in China. She also has solid management experience. As a senior human resources representative for Hewlett-Packard China, she designed and conducted several courses for computer software training for business administrators and managers. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at CMU, teaching Elementary Chinese I and II and Mandarin Chinese for Oral Communication. She is currently working on a project for computer-assisted learning of Chinese pronunciation.
