Chinese Literature: Literature and Readers

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: 5 Volume Set in Mandarin Chinese
by Rick Riordan

The series that started it all. Join the adventures of Percy Jackson and his demigod friends as they fight mythological monsters and the forces of the titan lord Kronos.

The Lightning Thief: Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction – Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.
The Sea Of Monsters: When Thalia’s tree is mysteriously poisoned, the magical borders of Camp Half-Blood begin to fail. Now Percy and his friends have just days to find the only magic item powerful to save the camp before it is overrun by monsters. The catch: they must sail into the Sea of Monsters to find it. Along the way, Percy must stage a daring rescue operation to save his old friend Grover, and he learns a terrible secret about his own family, which makes him question whether being the son of Poseidon is an honor or a curse.
The Titan's Curse: When Percy Jackson gets an urgent distress call from his friend Grover, he immediately prepares for battle. He knows he will need his powerful demigod allies at his side, his trusty bronze sword Riptide, and . . . a ride from his mom. The demigods rush to the rescue to find that Grover has made an important discovery: two powerful half-bloods whose parentage is unknown. But that’s not all that awaits them. The titan lord Kronos has devised his most treacherous plot yet, and the young heroes have just fallen prey.
The Battle of the Labyrinth: Percy Jackson isn’t expecting freshman orientation to be any fun, but when a mysterious mortal acquaintance appears, pursued by demon cheerleaders, things quickly go from bad to worse. Time is running out for Percy. War between the gods and the Titans is drawing near. Even Camp Half-Blood isn’t safe, as Kronos’ army prepares to invade its once impenetrable borders. To stop them, Percy and his friends must set out on a quest through the Labyrinth — a sprawling underground world with surprises and danger at every turn.
The Last Olympian: All year the half-bloods have been preparing for battle against the Titans, knowing the odds of victory are grim. Kronos’s army is stronger than ever, and with every god and half-blood he recruits, the evil Titan’s power only grows. While the Olympians struggle to contain the rampaging monster Typhon, Kronos begins his advance on New York City, where Mount Olympus stands virtually unguarded. Now it’s up to Percy Jackson and an army of young demigods to stop the Lord of Time. In this momentous final book in the New York Times best-selling Percy Jackson and the Olympians series, the long-awaited prophecy surrounding Percy’s sixteenth birthday unfolds. And as the battle for Western civilization rages on the streets of Manhattan, Percy faces a terrifying suspicion that he may be fighting against his own fate.

Tintin in Chinese
We now carry the original 22 titles of Tintin by Herge translated into Chinese. Follow Tintin and his dog, Snowy, as they ski through the Himalayas, visit opium dens in Hong Kong, explore ancient Aztec temples, and more. Captain Haddock and the blundering Mr. Dupont and the equally blundering Mr. Dupond join Tintin in these exciting detective adventures. The colorful illustrations in these comic-book-style adventures help you learn French as you read, and they are fun to look at, too! For kids and adults. Paperback. Shipping weight 2 lbs. each.

New Practical Chinese Reader Series
Liu Xun, editor
The first volumes of the long-awaited revised edition of the popular PCR series are finally available! This completely new edition (it will encompass six volumes in 70 lessons when completed) takes the student from an absolute beginner to an intermediate level, approximately 3 years of higher-level classroom instruction. The text follows the story of Ding Libo (the son of Gubo and Ding Yun from the first edition) and other international students as they live in China, learning about Chinese culture and society as they learn contemporary Mandarin. Emphasizes the basic skills of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, with supplementary exercises, many illustrations, charts, and in a larger 8 x 11 format. The entire series will include textbooks, student workbooks, instructor manuals, and audio CDs.

Tolkien in Foreign Language Editions
Note: these books are special orders, so they will take longer to ship than other products.
When J.R.R. Tolkien penned The Hobbit, which was published in 1937, he couldn't have known that he was beginning one of the most famous and beloved story cycles the world has ever known. Its initial popularity prompted his publisher to ask for a sequel and Tolkien started writing The Lord of the Rings, which turned out to be a huge opus requiring twelve years for completion - and history was in the making. By the time of Tolkien's death in 1973 The Lord of the Rings had a huge word-of-mouth cult following, with many popular editions, and was part of the cultural background for youth and adults of all ages. Peter Jackson's movie Ring cycle of the Tolkien series has made history again (and is in its own way an achievement in cinema much like Tolkien's in literature, but that is another story) - and has brought Tolkien's writings into a prominence that is perhaps at its peak. Happily, this means that the many foreign editions of Tolkien will probably remain in print for some time, and more may be brought to the fore.

Selected Stories Of Lu Xun
by Lu Xun
translated by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang
All the classic stories of the 20th Century master, but in a new bilingual edition. Great for students to read along in either language! Living during a time of dramatic change in China, Lu Hsun had a career that was as varied as his writing. As a young man he studied medicine in Japan but left it for the life of an activist intellectual, eventually returning to China to teach. Though he supported the aims of the Communist revolution, he did not become a member of the party nor did he live to see the Communists take control of China. Ambitious to reach a large Chinese audience, Lu Hsun wrote his first published story. "A Madman's Diary, " in the vernacular, a pioneering move in Chinese literature at the time. "The True Story of Ah Q, " a biting portrait of feudal China, gained him popularity in the West. This collection of eighteen stories shows the variety of his style and subjects throughout his career.

The True Story Of Ah Q
by Lu Xun
The True Story of Ah Q, a representative work of Lu Xun, is looked upon as a masterpiece in modern Chinese literature, of which Lu Xun is a forerunner. This story was written in 1921, and set in 1911, the China of the period of the old-democratic revolution. It is the tragedy of Ah Q, farm labourer, who suffers a lifetime of humiliation and persecution, dreams of revolution and ends up on the execution ground. The story colourfully reflects the rural conditions in semi-feudal and semi-colonial China -- a situation of sharp class contradictions and peasant masses' demand for revolution. The simplicity and directness of style, and the beauty of language used by Lu Xun place it high among literary works of the time for both content and style. Bilingual edition.

The Shop of the Lin Family Spring Silkworms
by Mao Dun
Mao Dun's most popular stories are collected here, in a new bilingual edition. Spring Silkworms tells the heartbreaking story of peasant's struggles to bring their silkworm cocoons to market. The Shop of the Lin Family (the basis for a classic film)tells of a small business during the Japanese invasion, and the troubles that befall one family.

Teahouse
by Lao She
Set in a typical, old Beijing teahouse, this classic play spans fifty years and has a cast of over sixty characters drawn from all levels of society. They reflect, through changes in their own lives, the changes that were taking place in Chinese society. The strength and appeal of the play lie in part in his masterful recreation of the characters and language of the street of old Beijing; but the center of it strength is Lao She's vision, his unerring choice of significant detail, his familiarity with the strengths, weaknesses, and ironies of the old society he describes. Bilingual edition.

A Dream of Red Mansions
by Cao Xueqin
This is a good alternative text for intermediate/advanced students who can't quite comprehend the full classic text. It includes notes and lists of words in English and pinyin and is about 100,000 characters long (10% of the original). Text in Chinese; comprises two volumes with 1187 pages total. Shipping weight 1 lb.

Gateway to the Chinese Classics: A Practical Guide to Literary Chinese
by Dr. Jeannette L. Faurot
Students who want to read Chinese history, philosophy, and literature must first master the difficult language of literary Chinese, or wenyan. The dense poetic language of ancient China is often deliberately ambiguous, to the point that Chinese scholars need commentaries to understand them. The introduction presents the structure of literary Chinese, including grammar, basic vocabulary, cultural notes, translations, and exercises. Professor Faurot has used interesting, original texts in the lessons including poems, selections from Lao Zi, Confucius, Sun Zi, and contemporary idioms. Gateway to the Chinese classics is intended for self-study and classroom use. Upon finishing the book, students will be ready to venture (with a good dictionary) on their own into other classical works. 130 pages. 8" x 11". Shipping weight 2 lbs.

Glimpses of China: Short Fiction for Chinese Study
by Jeannette L. Faurot
Intended for intermediate Chinese language students, Glimpses of China features short (usually one page) stories about life in China, providing interesting texts for reading practice. Taken from the pages of some of China's leading literary journals with both simplified and traditional characters, vocabulary lists, explanatory notes, and questions for discussion, the stories will bring the readers a deeper understanding of contemporary Chinese culture while increasing their ability to read authentic literature. 144 pages. Shipping weight 1 lb.

Ten Vernacular Tales From Ancient China
Compiled and Annotated by Zhong Biqin and Zhou Xianshen
This collection of classical Chinese stories was written during the Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties. Written in the vernacular of their time, they paint a picture of historical China. These stories provide examples of the differences in usage between modern and contemporary Chinese. Each story has a brief bilingual introduction, notes, and analyses. Also included is an index of vocabulary words and a section on the development of Chinese short stories in the vernacular. 536 pages. Shipping weight 1 lb.

Foreign Language Cassette Bibles in 21 Languages
Experience the New Testament in your choice of 21 different languages! Each New Testament Bible is narrated by a popular celebrity or spiritual leader chosen for a rich, full voice, style, and love for the gospel. Each of these recordings is a treasure of inspiration and literary understanding. 12-16 cassettes per version, packaged in a colorful volume.