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.

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.

Acknowledgments Preface -- User's guide ---- 1. Writing about events, part one ---- Writing guide ----: key elements of event writing ---- Model text --: an amusing account of exam preparations ---- Rhetoric --: personification -- Practical writing ---: email ---- 2. Writing about events: part two ---- Writing guide ----: detailed descriptions ---- Model text --: a tune in the rain --- Rhetoric --: metaphors and similes -- Practical writing ---: congratulatory words -- 3. Writing about people --- Writing guide ----: capturing key traits ---- Model text --: mother's smiles ----- Rhetoric --: parallelism -- Practical writing ---: letter of gratitude --- 4. Writing about scenery, part one ---- Writing guide ----: careful observations ---- Model text --: impressions of Niagara Falls ------- Rhetoric --: exaggeration -- Practical writing ---: posters -- 5. Writing about scenery, part two ---- Writing guide ----: blending scenery and feelings ---- Model text --: autumn colors on campus ---- Rhetoric --: association -- Practical writing ---: cover letter for a job application--- 6. Writing about feelings --- Writing guide ----: true feelings and beautiful expressions ---- Model text --: musical charm -- Rhetoric --: imagination -- Practical writing ---: résumé -- 7. Persuasive writing --- Writing guide ----: three methods of argumentation---- Model text --: confidence and conceit----- Rhetoric --: rhetorical question -- Practical writing ---: reader response --- Appendices English translations of the model texts ---- Vocabulary index ----