Reading to Write: A Textbook of Advanced Chinese

Traditionally, reading and writing are believed to be separate but related language processes and teachers follow the conventional wisdom of teaching in-depth reading, with writing as a tag-on issue. Therefore, there exists an increasingly urgent call for a well-rounded reading-writing curriculum and a theoretically-informed, empirically-based, student-centered advanced textbook that aims to develop the synergy between reading and writing. Reading to Write: A Textbook of Advanced Chinese is intended to fill this significant gap. It treats reading and writing as integrative parts and interactive skills in Chinese language teaching, putting them hand-in-hand, supplementing each other.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments Preface 前言 User’s guide 使用说明 1. Writing about events, part one 记事篇上 Writing guide 写作指导: key elements of event writing 记事要素 Model text 范文: an amusing account of exam preparations 备考趣记 Rhetoric 修辞: personification 拟人 Practical writing 应用文: email 电子邮件 2. Writing about events: part two 记事篇下 Writing guide 写作指导: detailed descriptions 细节描写 Model text 范文: a tune in the rain 雨中曲 Rhetoric 修辞: metaphors and similes 比喻 Practical writing 应用文: congratulatory words 祝词 3. Writing about people 写人篇 Writing guide 写作指导: capturing key traits 抓住特征 Model text 范文: mother’s smiles 妈妈的微笑 Rhetoric 修辞: parallelism 排比 Practical writing 应用文: letter of gratitude 感谢信 4. Writing about scenery, part one 绘景篇上 Writing guide 写作指导: careful observations 仔细观察 Model text 范文: impressions of Niagara Falls 尼亚加拉观瀑记 Rhetoric 修辞: exaggeration 夸张 Practical writing 应用文: posters 海报 5. Writing about scenery, part two 绘景篇下 Writing guide 写作指导: blending scenery and feelings 情景交融 Model text 范文: autumn colors on campus 校园秋色 Rhetoric 修辞: association 联想 Practical writing 应用文: cover letter for a job application求职信 6. Writing about feelings 抒情篇 Writing guide 写作指导: true feelings and beautiful expressions 情真意美 Model text 范文: musical charm 琴韵 Rhetoric 修辞: imagination 想象 Practical writing 应用文: résumé 简历 7. Persuasive writing 议论篇 Writing guide 写作指导: three methods of argumentation论证三法 Model text 范文: confidence and conceit自信与自负 Rhetoric 修辞: rhetorical question 反问 Practical writing 应用文: reader response 读后感 Appendices English translations of the model texts 课文英译 Vocabulary index 词汇索引

About the Author :
Zu-yan Chen is a Professor of Chinese Language and Literature at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He holds the rank of SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor. His publications include seven books and many articles spanning the fields of literature, history, philosophy, and language pedagogy.