Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (Traditional Character) Textbook (Chinese Edition)

The Integrated Chinese series is a whole set of textbooks, workbooks, character workbooks, CDs, and other resources to learn Chinese. This textbook is the first part of the learning method. My beginner Chinese class uses these books to teach, and I feel that they work very well. This textbook contains 11 lessons that teach about 350 Chinese characters in total. It has a well designed layout; every lesson contains a vocabulary list, notes about word usage, culture notes, one or more dialogues, grammar notes, and pattern drills. There is also an English version of the dialogues after every chapter. This book provides many interesting and useful insights into Chinese culture, such as why Chinese culture has less sacrosanct topics in small talk than in the West (such as relationships, money issues, etc). It teaches not only how to say things, but why they are said that way, and how it differs from other cultures. It is this material that really makes this a fantastic way to learn Chinese. Here's the list of lesson chapters: 1. Greetings 2. Family 3. Dates and Time 4. Hobbies 5. Visiting Friends 6. Making Appointments 7. Studying Chinese 8. School Life 9. Shopping 10. Talking about the Weather 11. Transportation Also, at the end of the book there is a map of China's provinces, a Chinese-English word index, a English-Chinese word index, and a Grammar index. NOTE: This is the Tradition Character version. Traditional Chinese is used more in Taiwan. If you plan to live in/visit China, you should probably get the Simplified Chinese edition.