I completed the first volume of this textbook series and am halfway through the Part two volume of Level one. I also use the Workbook as a support for homework assignments, but didn't purchase the Character Workbook. For students who already have had an exposure to spoken Chinese, I also recommend the textbook Making Connections: Enhance Your Listening Comprehension in Chinese, also published by Cheng & Tsui. It is loosely based on Level one of Integrated Chinese and will expose you to real-life conversations. First-time users can also use the multimedia tutorial put online by the Language Center of the University of California at Berkeley.

My experience is that every language textbook has its flaws but that it is very important to stick to a given textbook until you have fully mastered it. How often have I seen learners jump from one method to the next without any coherence or plan in their studies! Above all, the key to a successful language acquisition is motivation. Without a strong focus and discipline, you won't get anywhere. You have to keep a clear picture of where you are heading, and provide for milestones along the way.

So why are you learning Chinese? people ask me. They know that I already speak Japanese and at least for some people it seems that the two languages are mutually exclusive, as if you had to choose between the Middle Kingdom and the Land of the Rising Sun. I tell them that the roots of the Japanese civilization are to be found in ancient China and that in order to know Japan well, you have to know China as well. Most Japanese would agree on this.

What I don't tell them is that China, not Japan, was my first love. When I was a kid I found in a closet at my grandmother's place a trove of novels by Pearl Buck that had ended up there for some reason (I don't think my grandmother ever went abroad, and she didn't know much about foreign places, but she certainly enjoyed reading, and Pearl Buck novels were quite popular in the fifties). I became fascinated by their depiction of complex family relationships, courage in the face of adversity, and palace politics, and read them all in a row. Later, at age ten or so, I discovered the detective stories of the Dutch diplomat and Chinese scholar Robert Van Gulik, and became a big fan of Judge Dee.

At about the same time, my father purchased as a birthday present to my mother the two hefty volumes of Outlaws of the Marsh that had just been published in a Pleiade edition. I don't think that my mother ever read them in full but I certainly made my honey out of it. Re-reading this wonderful but lengthy Chinese classic once every year became a kind of rite. I still come back to it from time to time.

- But the green Paradise of my childhood love, / Mais le vert paradis des amours enfantines,
That sinless Paradise, full of furtive pleasures, / L'innocent paradis, plein de plaisirs furtifs,
Is it farther off now than India and China? / Est-il deja plus loin que l'Inde et que la Chine ?

When I started studying at the university in Paris, I was determined to return to "the green paradise of my childhood love", to quote Baudelaire, and to complement my major in economics with extracurricular activities such as learning Chinese. Unfortunately the timing of the Chinese lessons didn't fit with my already packed weekly schedule. Japanese classes were compatible with it. Besides, the Japanese economy was booming (that was just before the bubble burst) and I thought knowing the language would certainly be an asset when entering the job market. So I took Japanese. But I kept my longing for China and the Chinese language in a corner of my mind, as something you save for the future. And now, fifteen years later, I am back at it.

And you, why are you learning Chinese?

The grammar is not clearly explained; it's a mess. There's too much vocabulary that's overwhelming. Not useful at all if you want to learn Chinese. The language taught in the book is very artificial, and apparently not what Chinese people use in daily life. The Chinese taught is simply not practical. You won't be able to learn Chinese with this book.

The Best Mandarin Materials for Classrooms, December 8, 2005
　

These are great books. I have gone through several approaches to learning; software, audio cds, "bookstore" language learning books. These finally worked, but they are texts designed for use in a classrom. There were type-o's and simple drawings in the first edition of these books, but buyers should note, it is in SECOND edition. I have studied in both the US and China, where my teachers were very impressed with these books.
Their strength is the order in which new vocabulary is introduced and the frequency and intervals at which it re-occurs throughout the series. Compared with other materials I have used, these have the most well thought-out sequence. As a result, I retained more of the material I covered.
A self-motivated learner can employ them for individual study if they have the audio cds, and take time EVERY SINGLE DAY to work among the materials. A full set consists of the Textbook, Workbook, Character Workbook, and Audio CDs. Each "set" is available in three levels: Level 1 Part 1, Level 1 Part 2, and Level 2. However, if you are serious about learning a language like Chinese or Arabic (these are among the most difficult), you should use these materials in a university course where a teacher will guide your progress, coach pronounciation, and provide the discipline and cohesion essential for success.
In summary, this is a great series that makes a difficult language accessible. The order of presentation of the vocabulary is very well thought out, specifically the way the many homonymns in Chinese are dealt with. Do not be discouraged, but make sure you get the second editions! You cannot learn Mandarin by picking it up and setting it down every once in a while. But if you make it part of your day, you WILL be talking and writing in Chinese.

Integrated Frustration, November 2, 2005
　

I purchased Integrated Chinese, Level 1, Part 2: Textbook (Simplified Charaters Edition). The title alone gives a hint at the many problems with this language series. Overly complicated for the information given. The textbook seems to be written without much cohesive planning, just slapped together dialogs with vocabulary lists and grammar "hints". Another very disappointing and frustration aspect of the series (I have ordered every version and "part") is the incredible number of mistakes and typographical errors. I have to rely on my Chinese friends to correct the book! I feel sorry for a student who doesn't have access to a native Chinese person to point out the errors. The English sentence examples are atrocious. Why didn't the author/publisher hire at least one English professor to even glance at this series?
My opinion is, from trying to study and learn from these books, that the authors got together and realized a need for such a text and decided it would be a great way to make money. There doesn't seem to be much of a desire to help students learn a foreign language, just put together a book and hope to sell lots. The illustrations alone prove this. They are terrible, sloppy and unprofessional. A graduate student in the University of Hawaii's art department could have done a job that wouldn't be embarrassing to look at.
I am indeed disappointed but since there is a limited number of Chinese instructional texts at the undergraduate level, I'm "stuck".