Characters and symbols reflect the philosophy behind a culture. The first in a new series to appeal to the self-learner interested in intermediate to advanced Chinese, this book contains twelve extended readings in key aspects of traditional China. Exploring such fascinating motifs as the dragon, the phoenix, the eight trigrams, door and kitchen gods, and others, this book opens up new windows of opportunity for those looking to expand their knowledge of Chinese language and culture. Each chapter features Chinese simplified characters, pinyin romanization with tone marks, English translation, and key vocabulary with additional exercises. Chinese Symbols and Icons is one of the only books to be fully compliant with HSK, the official language proficiency standard used in China, and suitable for people who are preapering for the Advanced Placement (AP Chinese) examination. Every story starts with some brief questions, which challenge your curiousity so that after reading the story you will feel a deeper impact Each story is divided into short paragraphs making reading and comprehension of the content easier To facilitate understanding of the content, Hanyu Pinyin, (romanised Chinese), English translation and explanation of vocabulary are attached More background of the stories have been included in Expansion Reading Mind challenging games are included as well. The Commercial Press is China's oldest publishing company, founded in 1897.