Introducing: The World of Chinese Magazine

[The World of Chinese]

Hello everyone! This will be, I promise, my one and only "promotional" post, but roddy suggested I make one introducing our magazine to folks, explaining what it is and what we'll be doing on the site.

I've been an on again, off again user of these forums for years under the name -葛亚辉-. Some of you may know me also as the editor of ChinaGeeks, but that doesn't pay any bills, and since I enjoy eating every now and then, I took a job some time ago with The World of Chinese magazine, a magazine I had never heard of.

It turns out the magazine is actually pretty cool. It is a very different kind of Chinese learning resource, but one I think that some of you might really enjoy. Basically, we do what language textbooks don't, which is dig into the meat of Chinese culture and society for the weird, the funny, and the moving. You're not going to master any grammar structures by reading our magazine, which is in English, but you'll probably pick up some extra vocabulary words, and you'll have fun learning about everything from ancient mythical monsters to the monsters of China's modern heavy metal music scene. We've also got practical articles that dig into the how-to aspects of life in China (how to pick a mobile phone plan, how to say "no" without annoying coworkers, how to quit your job, etc.)

I could give a whole big PR spiel, but I'll spare you -- just know that I wouldn't be admitting my true identity in this post if I didn't personally really believe in this magazine. I had never heard of it before either, but it really is entertaining, and I've learned a lot from it too.

As for what we're doing on Chinese forums, it's probably pretty obvious that this is a place where we want to have a presence. But (this post aside), I promise that I'm not here to spam anyone, just to participate in the discussions that are already happening here (and hopefully I can personally shake some of the rust off of my study muscles and improve my Chinese skills along the way.)

So, to that end, if you have any questions about the magazine or me or my presence on these boards, fire away! And if you're curious about the magazine, you can read a ton of articles from last year for free on our website. We also have an online store and a Taobao shop if you want to buy copies.

Thanks for your time. Happy studying!

[Daan]

I think I've actually seen this lying around in the library of the MTC (in Taipei). I remember flicking through it and thinking it looked quite good, as does your website, by the way. Your website says that "The World of Chinese is a Chinese-English Bilingual Bimonthly"; to what extent is it bilingual, when you say most of the content is going to be in English? Is it like Taiwan Panorama, where English and Mandarin are printed side-by-side?

[wushijiao]

Thanks for letting us know! I really like the work you do at China Geeks by the way!

[aristotle1990]

Looks good. I'll have to check it out some more.

[amandagmu]

Hey! I'm in BJ and have read the magazine (bought the last two or three issues). I like the content because it's fairly relevant and not nearly as boiler-plate as something like Beijing Review (yawn) or China Pictorial (lovely pictures and that's about it). I noticed that in the most recent issue, the first in 2011, there seems to be a heavier focus on adding more Chinese to the magazine and I think this is a huge improvement, but those who are curious (Daan): no, it is not like Taiwan panorama - this is not a magazine that has articles in both Chinese and English, it's articles in English that contain translations into Chinese of several sentences, important vocabulary, and brief summaries of the articles. I think it's a good magazine particularly at the beginner - upper intermediate learning stages but not as useful for Chinese learning once you reach an advanced level. With that said, I still think the magazine is worth reading for the content, and even if you are nearly fluent you will sometimes find explanations of Chinese words or concepts that are relatively new to the language.

[Xiwang]

I love this magazine. The quality of the articles and the photography have certainly improved since the beginning of 2010 and have made the magazine a joy to read. Also, The World of Chinese website is now regularly updated whereas, in the old days, there was little content there except for instructions on how to subscribe.

The pre-2010 issues were not bad, just that the focus of the magazine was different. In its earlier incarnation, the magazine was mainly geared toward language learning and included bilingual texts and a CD. The current magazine is more of a cultural magazine written by native English speakers that includes bilingual vocabulary of key words and phrases at the end of each feature article.

Here are some reviews of the recent Shanghai-themed issue:

http://www.amazon.com/World-Chinese-Shanghai-Special-ebook/dp/B00422LH22/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2&s=digital-text&qid=1295940658&sr=1-8

[The World of Chinese]

@ Daan: The magazine used to be fully bilingual, but now it's mostly English. Most articles feature Chinese subheadings, and a short list of relevant Chinese vocabulary, but it's meant to be an enjoyable magazine even for someone who doesn't speak much or any Chinese. The goal is that anyone interested in China will like the magazine, and that Chinese learners of all levels will get some extra vocabulary out of it, in addition to a ton of cultural understanding and some damned interesting stories.

@ everyone else: Thanks for your kind words! I'm happy to hear people are reading and enjoying the magazine, especially the newest issue, which we worked really hard on, and then spent weeks battling with our printing company to get printed properly. We've got some awesome stuff in the pipeline both on the website and in the magazine itself, so stay tuned!

[Brandon263]

Not to sound too excited, but I just looked at the "The World of Chinese" website you linked to, and I have to say it's the best website for learning about Chinese culture I've ever seen; I'll definitely buy your magazine from your website. Keep up the good work!!!

(BTW, is the magazine's price quoted in US$ on the website?)

[The World of Chinese]

Yeah, the website prices are in USD, the $7/issue figures in the cost of shipping the magazine to the US as we don't have a printer in the US yet.

However, if you're in China, it will probably be easier for you to buy the magazine from our taobao shop (subscribe) or just by contacting us directly. If you live in Beijing or Shanghai, we can probably even deliver the magazine personally and take your payment in cash. If you need any help ordering, feel free to email me personally, my email is custerc at gmail.

Anyway, I'm glad you like the magazine and the website! We update daily, so I hope you continue to enjoy it, thanks!

[lakers4sho]

*Bumping this old thread*

 

I found a couple of old issues of this magazine (from 2007) lying around so I picked them up, and they have some pretty good stuff. I'm interested in subscribing for a year's worth, but it's not exactly cheap. I wonder how much of the magazine has changed since 2007 (although Xiwang gives a pretty good idea).

 

Their website is amazing too by the way, lots of great stuff about Chinese culture

 

http://hanyushijie.com/

 

lakers4sho