The Practical Chinese Reader (Chinese: 实用汉语课本; pinyin: shíyòng hànyǔ kèběn) is a six-volume series of Chinese language teaching books developed to teach non-Chinese speakers to speak Chinese, first published in 1981. Books I and II consist of 50 lessons where the reader studies a vocabulary of 1,000 words, and basic Chinese phonology and grammar. The lessons tell the story of two foreign students of Chinese, Palanka and Gubo, first in their own country (Book I) and then in China (Book II). They give priority to everyday topics that Gubo and Palanka encounter (e.g. clothing, entertainment, socializing), and also provide background information on Chinese culture, society, and history. Books III and IV consist of 30 lessons with a vocabulary of about 2,000 words. Each lesson focuses on a wide range of topics such as history, education, economy, medicine, sports, literature and art, newspapers and broadcasting, marriage and family life, scenic spots and historical sites, etc. Books III and IV follow the same format as Books I and II and continue to follow Gubo and Palanka. Starting in Book IV, grammar explanations are no longer provided in English. Books V and VI consist of 30 lessons with more than 3,000 words and everyday expressions. The foreign students of Chinese, Palanka, and Gubo, are no longer included in Books V and VI. Book V contains original essays and works on a wide range of themes and affairs in China. Each work varies in form, style, and length. Book VI contains excerpts from longer literary works. Both books give a brief introduction on the author, background, and explanatory notes are provided at the end of the text if necessary. English is not used at all. Even the new words are explained in basic Chinese. The Practical Chinese Reader was the first set of dedicated textbooks on basic Chinese for use by foreign students of Chinese sponsored by the Chinese Ministry of Education, who commissioned three professors at Beijing Languages Institute (now Beijing Language and Culture University) to write it in the 1970s. It was praised by American and German academics in the early 1980s as practical and advanced. It also received a warm domestic welcome for its "meticulously planned" educational content and innovation in "using the communicative principle and strengthening cultural knowledge education", and won the second prize inaugural Beijing Philosophy and Social Sciences Award for Excellence. (en)
The Practical Chinese Reader (Chinese: 实用汉语课本; pinyin: shíyòng hànyǔ kèběn) is a six-volume series of Chinese language teaching books developed to teach non-Chinese speakers to speak Chinese, first published in 1981. (en)