Chinese Title: 中国名著简读系列: 家
English Title: Abridged Chinese Classic Series: Family
ISBN-10: 7-80200-391-1, 7802003911
ISBN-13: 978-7-80200-391-0, 9787802003910
Pages: 152
Binding: softcover
Shipping Weight: 270g
Size: 145mm x 210mm
Language: simplified Chinese, pinyin, with English annotations
Publisher: Sinolingua
Ba Jin: Family, Abridged Chinese Classic Series. With download link for the corresponding audio files in Mandarin Chinese, you find the download link on our invoice.
Family
This is the abridged version of the first of the trilogy The Torrents: Family, Spring, Autumn, masterpiece of Ba Jin, one of the greatest writers of modern Chinese literature. The trilogy recounts the decline of a large feudal family following the May Fourth Movement of 1919.
Using the conflicts among three generations of the Gao family as the main threads, Family exposes the darkness and decadence of the feudal society. The author relentlessly castigates the hypocritical and malicious feudal apologists such as the Venerable Masters Gao and Feng, eulogizes Gao Juehui and others of the awakening young generation who rebel against feudalism, and expresses deep sympathy for those who became victims of feudal moral ethics.
The abridged version of 30,000 words of each title, approximately 1/10 of each of the original, can be read by elementary level students of Chinese with a 2,000-word vocabulary or can be used as an aid to reading the original. Each chapter is followed by a list of words and commentary notes both in Chinese and English, and several study questions.
A Brief Introduction
Well-read Chinese literature works have been selected for Abridged Chinese Classic Series and the abridged version has kept the storyline and style of language of the original. Each text contains about 30,000 to 50,000 words, and new words are kept less than 5% of the total words. It is designed for Chinese language learners who have finished basic Chinese grammar and acquired 2,000 words (first and second level vocabulary of elementary HSK proficiency). For the convenience of the learners, pinyin has been added to the full text, so have explanations to new words when they appear for the first time. Explanatory notes to phrases and expressions, and some study questions are included after each chapter. This series can not only serve as material for leisure reading thanks to its classic and well-written language, but also as texts for reading in Chinese training programmes thanks to its proper length and explanatory notes, but also as assistance for international readers to approach the original works.
