Download or read book Beginning Chinese Reader written by John DeFrancis and published by . This book was released on 1977 with total page 1012 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This second edition, like the earlier first edition, introduces some of the main varieties of Chinese as found before and after the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. While continuing to stress the basic importance of the traditional usages, such as the regular characters to be found in all materials published before the adoption of the simplified forms in 1956 and still in use in some areas, the present revision goes further in contrasting variant usages and in providing additional material relevent to the PRC.