Designed for intermediate and advanced college students (2+ years at college level) as well as adult learners, Beyond the Basics takes students of Chinese to new heights of interpersonal communication. This updated second edition textbook, supplemented by free audio downloads, takes a communicative approach to contemporary and thought-provoking conversation topics such as childhood, vocation, crime, poverty, romance, politics, art and philosophy.

An emphasis on the spoken language encourages serious dialogue among students, while task-based activities require genuine, active communication and create a meaning-centered atmosphere. Field-tested at Middlebury College, each of the 15 chapters is comprised of a model dialogue, discussion questions, an indexed list of new words, text pattern explanations and supplementary vocabulary. Other features of the text include newly revised content and vocabulary to reflect the contemporary field of Chinese language learning, a greater variety of exercises and activities, a Suggested Teaching Methodology Index and Vocabulary Index, both simplified and traditional characters with pinyin for new vocabulary, an updated design that makes it easier for students of both simplified and traditional characters to follow the text and exercises, and free access to online audio downloads.