Practical Chinese Reader
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.