The Chinese Odyssey, Volume 1 textbook lays the groundworkfor solid Chinese language acquisition. Lessons emphasize pronunciationand the use of colloquial expressions, to put students on the righttrack to speaking Chinese accurately and fluently. Written Chinese isalso introduced, but at a slower pace than the spoken language.

Volume 1 focuses especially on phonetics to teach students to distinguish tones and sounds, as well as sight reading for pinyin mastery.

The volume's ten lessons contain dialogues and texts, clear anddetailed explanations of basic grammar rules and language usage,coordinated grammar and communication exercises, and cultural material.Intended to cover the first semester of Chinese for students in highschool or college, Chinese Odyssey, Volume 1is the first in a series of flexible courseware that can accommodatedifferent learning styles and teaching environments. This textbook combines both traditional and simplified characters in one book.