Program Components

Student Books:

Conveniently serving as both textbook and workbook, the Encounters Student Books are elemental to the program. Books 1 and 2 make up the beginner level of study, while Student Books 3 and 4 comprise the intermediate level. Each book consists of an introduction and 10 units, and is rich with learning material, instructional exercises, and vocabulary review.

Dramatic Episodes:

The Encounters dramatic series transports students to the cities and villages of modern China. Filmed on location throughout China, these episodes reveal everyday life via the interwoven stories of nine main characters. These dramatic episodes captivate students and encourage them to watch and learn, as more Chinese is progressively introduced and linked with corresponding lessons and activities in the student book and multimedia materials. Each episode has optional subtitles in English, pinyin, simplified, and traditional characters.

Watch the pilot episode from the dramatic series

View a map of the story locations throughout China

The Cast of Characters:

An artist, an Australian traveler, a young teacher are just a few of the characters whose stories unfold through the dramatic series. The diverse cast provides students with relatable experiences and new insights into Chinese culture. Click here to learn more about the characters.

Screenplay:

Transcriptions of each dramatic episode are available for download (also available in print for level 1), in English, pinyin, and simplified characters.

Cultural Bits:

These concise video segments provide lesson-based exploration into Chinese customs and traditions, deepening students’ cultural knowledge and real life context for use of the Chinese language. Click here to view a sample.

Lesson Audio:

Available in multiple formats—streamed soundcloud files or downloadable MP3s—lesson audio is easy to access anytime, anywhere, providing realistic listening experiences.

Rap Songs:

Fun and engaging songs that cover important vocabulary and core themes from each lesson.

Podcasts:

Julian Wheatley takes you chapter-by-chapter through the Student Books, introducing you to practical vocabulary and cultural understanding.

Additional Resources:

Videos exploring food, realia image archive, lyric sheets that accompany the unit raps, flashcards, classroom supplements, and our character training app can all be located under additional resources. If and how much you use them is entirely up to you, but they are always available to expand on the core components of the Encounters program.