Are you interested in the Chinese language and culture? Do you want to learn to speak, listen, read and write Chinese at your own pace? Then the Chinese course is really something for you! The Basic Chinese Course consists of a book and a website with audio material. 24 lessons cover the practical language skills you need to, for example, order food in a restaurant or find your way. The emphasis is on speaking, understanding and reading the characters. Pinyin is used, but writing characters yourself is also discussed. The learning material is presented in texts and dialogues, in example sentences with short explanations, in photos and in many exercises. I also use online audio, overviews of pronunciation, the language functions discussed and grammar, as well as Dutch-Chinese and Chinese-Dutch word lists. After the basic program you can talk about yourself and your work/organization/family, you can arrange your hotel affairs in China, place orders in shops and restaurants and even negotiate the price. You can also schedule appointments, arrange your transportation and ask for directions. With all these subjects you not only learn the language, but you also gain insight into the cultural aspects. After completing the course, you will have mastered the basic knowledge of Mandarin. This allows you to go anywhere in China.