Common Knowledge About Chinese Culture

by Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council, China Overseas Exchanges Association

A riveting collection of the major features of Chinese culture including its ethnic groups, folk customs, traditional virtues, technology, language, architecture, art and literature.
When considering China, it is impossible to separate the culture, geography and history from one another. As a collection these books give readers a well-rounded understanding of Chinas past and present, supplying them with common knowledge of this fascinating country.

Genres: China, Nonfiction

260 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Ferenc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a dual-language book, written in simplified Chinese and English.
It is mainly suitable for advanced learners as there are no grammar notes, however intermediate-level learners could work through it if they are eager grammar-reference users.
One thing I really like about the book is the abundance of pictures and illustrations, you get to see an image of what and who they are writing about. I also like that the coverage is so broad: ethnic groups, customs, ancient science, languages, literature, art, and so on.

So if you are looking for broad knowledge about China as a language learner, this is a good and pleasant book to use. However, because it has such breadth it doesn't have enough space to go into much detail, which could bother some potential users.
Personaly though, I think that since there are not that many [inexpensive] dual-language books out there these books could be a good start for those who are starting out to read advanced materials on their own and want to learn more general things about the country.

[Abel Mora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting book that gives a brief taste of many parts of Chinese culture. There are many fully-illustrated images in this print, which makes for a nice window into different foreign constructions or other unique and cool things! Each chapter has a full Chinese and English translation, great if you're studying Chinese.

[白狼 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basic reading material