Teaching, Language & Reference
November 2022
Easy-to-Read Chinese Short Stories, Book 2
by April Zhang and Carlton Cash
This is the second book in the series that is for Chinese learners and by Chinese learners. Since 2021, MSL Master has invited Chinese language learners worldwide to participate in an annual event, Chinese Writing Contest. Entries are limited to using 320 Chinese characters only. In 2022, 58 entries were received. After a public vote on Twitter, the best 14 were included in this book. These are interesting stories and moving poems. Family, friendship and love are the main themes. The presence of nature is prominent. An element of inexplicable phenomena is also felt. The authors were from seven countries, Malaysia, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The oldest one was 70 years old, while the youngest one only 13. They shared a passion for the Chinese language and the love of a good challenge! Their abilities of moulding these 320 characters were varied. While some were skilful, others were still feeling their ways and trying inventive combinations. While some relied on literary language, others preferred using simple expressions to express deep meanings. Because of its unique mixture of texts, this book has something for evereyone, regardless whether you are beginners or advanced Chinese language learners. Free audio and a sample story are available here: https://www.mslmaster.com/index.php/chinese-textbooks/easy-to-read-series
