Book launch: ‘100 Lessons in Spoken Chinese’ for Pakistanis

Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Singapore Hasan Javed writes a language guide.

KARACHI:

A fast-track guide to learn Chinese language, written by Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Singapore, has been launched. The book launch for “Chinese Made Easy: 100 Lessons in Spoken Chinese” was held at the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) main campus on Friday.

IBA is one of the few institutions in Pakistan that has introduced Chinese as part of its curriculum. The book, authored by Hasan Javed, provides guidance to readers in learning basic conversational Chinese for everyday use. It familiarises beginners and teaches them skills to converse with native Chinese speakers. The most-often used words and sentences describing common situations are also included in the book that will assist traveller in areas where Chinese is spoken.

The book uses six mediums to teach Chinese - one of the most ancient languages spoken by approximately 20 per cent of the world’s population.

At IBA, the book launch event kicked off with the opening sale and book signing by the author. The ceremony proceeded with opening remarks by Dr Huma Baqai, the chairperson of the IBA social sciences department, highlighting the need to learn a foreign language to gain perspective.

Professor Zhou Rong, a special guest at the event, introduced the book and the author stating that the ambassador was an expert and a pioneer in teaching Chinese to Pakistani friends. “The book is smart, innovative and is an expressway [to learn Chinese],” he added.

Hasan Javed worked at Pakistan’s Beijing Embassy for eight years and studied Chinese at the Beijing Language Institute for two years. Introducing his book, the ambassador to Singapore talked about the merits of learning Chinese and focused on how the Chinese language was making ways as an international language.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 7^th, 2012.