Welcome to Capturing Chinese

Break into Reading Real Modern Chinese Literature

Due to its complex writing systems, Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in the world. Full literacy of Chinese requires a working knowledge of three to four thousand Chinese characters and breaking into reading Chinese literature is a daunting task. The Capturing Chinese Series is a comprehensive tool to help students of Chinese read Chinese literature in its original form. Footnotes highlight the more difficult vocabulary and pinyin is provided for the entire text. There is no need to constantly consult a dictionary or look up difficult characters by radical. Historical events, people and places are explained throughout and illustrations recreate the scenes.

All editions of Capturing Chinese include:

• Full story unabridged in simplified Chinese
• Pinyin for the entire text
• Definitions for difficult vocabulary
• Historical explanations and summaries
• Illustrations throughout
• MP3s read by two native speakers

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Reviews of Capturing Chinese

"[Capturing Chinese] will be invaluable for students of modern Chinese literature. Lu Xun's short stories were the first works of Chinese literature that I read in the original, as a very green undergraduate - yours is exactly the kind of text that would have helped me then, and doubtless with tricky turns of phrase when I was working on the translation!"

- Julia Lovell, translator of The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun

"The book [Capturing Chinese] is a great aid for readers who want to learn about the father of modern Chinese literature and his works."

- Carolyn Lee, Director of the Chinese Language Program at Duke University

“As reading material for the students who are learning Chinese and interested in Chinese literature and culture, your book is amazing and special!”

- Liu Liping, Chinese Professor at Columbia University

"Your book [Capturing Chinese Short Stories From Lu Xun's Nahan] will offer teachers of the Chinese language an effective tool of accessing Lu Xun’s difficult texts."

- Nanxiu Qian, associate professor of Chinese literature at Rice University