Stories from China is a series of extensive reading textbooks compiled by local Chinese language teachers for intermediate/advanced Chinese students or self-learners.

 

This series introduces Chinese culture to foreigners and improves their Chinese reading skills while teaching Chinese culture. The textbooks use stories to present vividly and specifically the glorious traditional Chinese cultural points that foreigners are interested in.

 

This series is divided into 10 volumes, including volumes of history, geography, folk customs, myths and legends, traditional culture, traditional festivals, arts, Chinese language, literature, celebrities, etc. Each volume uses 10 stories to discuss a cultural topic.

 

The volume of myths and legends includes ten stories, namely Pangu creates the world, Nuwa patches up the sky, the Foolish Old Man moves the mountains, Chang’e flies to the moon, the Herd-boy and the Weaving-girl, the story of Meng Jiangnu, the legend of White Snake, the Butterfly Lovers, the Lotus Lamp, the Eight Immortal Beings Cross the Sea. There are also cultural tips including the legendary Wu Gang, Jade Rabbit, Jade Emperor, Heavenly Empress, Dragon King, Guanyin, as well as a woman in man’s disguise, and the successful candidates in the imperial examination in ancient China, etc. 

Liu Meiru received her master and PhD degrees in Chinese Studies from Portland State University of America. Being the Professor of Chinese Language and Culture and the Dean of the Confucius Institute at Portland State University, Prof. Liu has more than 30 years of Chinese language teaching and Chinese culture promotion experience and has written many Chinese textbooks for foreigners.

 

Lu Lina received her master degree in Cultural Communication and PhD degree in Education from Portland State University of America. She is now the President of Chinese Language Teachers Association of the Oregon State. She has been teaching Chinese and the comparative studies of Chinese and American culture in many American and Canadian universities since 1986.