Since the first publication of Speaking Chinese (English and Japanese Editions) in 1990, it has been received warm welcome from the experts in teaching Chinese as a foreign language and the Chinese learners as well. In 1998 the 2nd edition was published, and was selected as one of BLCUP's elite textbooks. In 2005 the accompanying CD-ROM was published. Speaking Chinese, following Conversational Chinese 301, is another successfully Chinese textbook series for short-term speaking training. Based on the 2nd edition, the 3rd edition makes some change to the chapters and language structures to make the book updated with the time and suit the learners'practical needs better. Altogether there are two volumes in 40 units. Considering the foreigners'practical needs in their daily life and study, and adopting the principle of combining functions and grammar, the compiler organizes the situational dialogues into 15 units, with re-occurrence of words and sentence patterns in texts and exercises, and the difficulty of contents increasing in a progressive way. Upon finishing the two volumes, the learners can master about 1000 new words and 60 new sentence patters. Part of the answer keys are attached for each volume, as well as a free recording CD. Editions in English, Japanese, Korean, etc. are also available.
Wu Shuping, teacher in the College of Advanced Training, Beijing Language and Culture University, has been engaged in teaching Chinese as a foreign language for a long time and has rich experience in teaching and textbook compilation. The published books include A Panorama of China, Contemporary Chinese, HSK Simulated Tests (Elementary), Chinese Today, Speaking Chinese, 380 Chinese Verbs, etc.