After a meteoric rise, China today is one of the world’s most powerful nations. Just a century ago, it was a crumbling empire with literacy reserved for the elite few, as the world underwent a massive technological transformation that threatened to leave them behind. In Kingdom of Characters, Jing Tsu argues that China’s most daunting challenge was a linguistic one: the century-long fight to make the formidable Chinese language accessible to the...

"Whether you're a serious student or simply curious, this book makes the Chinese reading and writing system enjoyable and accessible. A lighthearted mnemonic approach associates the 1,000 most common Chinese characters with visual and verbal clues that make memorization a snap!"--Back cover.

"Billions of people worldwide speak Chinese- and now you can learn to write 100 characters in the world's most-spoken language! Whether you're taking a course, looking to get ahead at work, or just want to up the ante when you're communicating with Chinese-speaking family and friends, Chinese Character Writing For Dummies gets you up to speed fast. This workbook will guide your first steps in learning Chinese characters. It contains 100 basic characters,...

A comprehensive approach to Mandarin Chinese, with themed chapters and practice exercises, so you can progress quickly from the basics to understanding, speaking, and writing Mandarin Chinese.