It looks like I am one of the few who actually like this book. I am using this series to learn Chinese and I have found the books to be really great. The lessons are very interesting. You learn a lot about Chinese history and culture in the process of learning the language. It has a huge amount of propaganda, but to me, this is informative and entertaining,instead of offensive. I love the way the lessons build on each other so that your reading becomes better with each lesson. The main drawback for me would be the explanations of grammar and usage. I have a horrible time trying to understand Chinese prepositions and things like that.I do wish the explanations were a little clearer.While this book doesn't have a lot of pinyin, I have found that watching Chinese dramas, movies, and karaoke videos are a great suppliment that more than makes up for this shortcoming. Sorry if this is rambling. This is my first time writing a review. I really love these books and I hope others will enjoy them as much as I do.
Most helpful for foreign learners
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
I was taught Mandarin in my first years in school and have not had much chance to practice it for 30 years. I have recently re-started studying Mandarin based on this book and find it most helpful and complete, as grammar, Pin Yin phonetics and explanations are concerned. It also comes with a wide and varied selection of exercises.
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