Reading China Electronic Resource

This volume develops a new style of reading Chinese sources, as pioneered in Chinese Studies by Professor Glen Dudbridge, providing fascinating new insights into Chinese literature, history and popular culture. The analysis of self-fashioning, representation and political propaganda sheds new light on Chinese perceptions of the world.

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Learning Chinese can be frustrating and difficult, partly because it's very different from European languages. Following a teacher, textbook or language course is not enough. They show you the characters, words and grammar you need to become proficient in Chinese, but they don't teach you how to learn them! Regardless of what program you're in (if any), you need to take responsibility for your own learning. If you don't, you will miss many important things that aren't included in the course you're taking. If you study on your own, you need to be even more aware of what you need to do, what you're doing at the moment and the difference between them. Here are some of the questions I have asked and have since been asked many times by students: How do I learn characters efficiently? How do I get the most out of my course or teacher? Which are the best learning tools and resources? How can I become fluent in Mandarin? How can I improve my pronunciation? How do I learn successfully on my own? How can I motivate myself to study more? How can I fit learning Chinese into a busy schedule? The answers I've found to these questions and many others form the core of this book. It took eight years of learning, researching, teaching and writing to figure these things out. Not everybody has the time to do that! I can't go back in time and help myself learn in a better way, but I can help you! This book is meant for normal students and independent language learners alike. While it covers all major areas of learning, you won't learn Chinese just by reading this book. It's like when someone on TV teaches you how to cook: you won't get to eat the delicious dish just by watching the program; you have to do the cooking yourself. That's true for this book as well. When you apply what you learn, it will boost your learning, making every hour you spend count for more, but you still have to do the learning yourself. This is what a few readers have said about the book: "The book had me nodding at a heap of things I'd learnt the hard way, wishing I knew them when I started, as well as highlighting areas that I'm currently missing in my study." - Geoff van der Meer, VP engineering "This publication is like a bible for anyone serious about Chinese proficiency. It's easy for anyone to read and written with scientific precision." - Zachary Danz, foreign teacher, children's theatre artist About me I started learning Chinese when I was 23 (that's more than eight years ago now) and have since studied in many different situations, including serious immersion programs abroad, high-intensity programs in Sweden, online courses, as well as on the side while working or studying other things. I have also successfully used my Chinese in a graduate program for teaching Chinese as a second language, taught entirely in Chinese mostly for native speakers (the Graduate Institute for Teaching Chinese as a Second Language at National Taiwan Normal University). All these parts have contributed to my website, Hacking Chinese, where I write regularly about how to learn Mandarin.

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This book explores the challenges of translating Chinese works, particularly premodern ones, for a contemporary Western readership. Reacting against the "cultural turn" in translation studies, contributors return to the origin of translation studies: translation practice. By returning to the time-honored basics of linguistics and hermeneutics, the book inquires into translation practice from the perspective of reading and reading theory. Essays in the first section of the work discuss the nature, function, rationale, criteria, and historical and conceptual values of translation. The second section focuses on the art and craft of translation, offering practical techniques and tips. Finally, the third section conducts critical assessments of translation policy and practice as well as formal and aesthetic issues. Throughout, contributors explore how a translation from the Chinese can read like a text in the Western reader's own language.

One of the objectives for an advanced language course is to prepare students for more intensive reading. Chinese newspapers are a particularly useful source of authentic reading materials because they use a written style, which lies between colloquial and classic, and is commonly used nowadays. Reading newspapers also enables students to relate their linguistic skills to broader, deeper and relevant issues and cultural aspects.China in many ways is on the rise, socially, politically, and economically. It is at a pivotal point in its history as it emerges and establishes itself as an economic and political power, and changes are occurring very rapidly. Many of these changes are of great significance and will probably have an impact for a long time. It is important that students of Chinese know of these changes. Because of their inherent nature, newspapers can capture, in written form, the pulse of the society in the most timely manner.The physical format of Chinese newspapers poses difficulties for students reading them. Sometimes it is very different from English newspapers. For example, headlines can be written both vertically and horizontally. Different Chinese newspapers also use different formats in the texts. As a result, students get confused as to where they should continue reading after finishing a particular portion of the text. Herein lies a big difference between reading newspapers and textbooks. While electronic newspapers on the internet serve to provide news information, they are arranged to be read in textbook format, which cannot acquaint students with the technique of reading printed newspapers.Modern China: Life, Language, and Culture is a collection for advanced learners to expand their reading skills to include authentic reading materials and at the same time keep abreast of contemporary changes taking place in China. The articles selected from the World Journal primarily relate to the life, language and culture of the people in modern China in recent years. Each of the 25 lessons includes pre-reading discussion topics, the original newspaper article, a reformatted text using both traditional and simplified fonts, an extensive vocabulary list, a list of commonly used phrases, and post-reading comprehension questions. The pre- and post-reading discussions also serve to expand the students' oral skills.There are three components of Modern China: Life, Language, and Culture; a hard copy of the book; a CD-Rom including the complete text of the book and Clavis Sinica, Chinese reading and reference software developed by David Porter; and an audio CD recording of all the newspaper articles in the book.For ordering information, please visit http://lrc.cornell.edu and click on Sales.

An encyclopedia designed especially to meet the needs of elementary, junior high, and senior high school students.

Originally published: A new text for a modern China, 1998.