Painted Skin (2nd Edition)

Name: Painted Skin (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 9787301303788

刘月华 / 储诚志 / 谢勤Peking University Press · ChinaAug 2025

3.5

Word count: 30K words
Chapters: 23
ISBN: 9787301303788

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Summary

"Chinese Breeze" is a large graded Chinese reading series with 8 levels and over 60 volumes, intended for middle school and college students whose Chinese ranges from elementary to advanced. This is Level 3, Volume 2, adapted by the author from a story in *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*.

Editor's review

This book is Volume 2 of Level 3 in the "Chinese Breeze" large-scale graded Chinese reading series, adapted from a story in *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* and aimed at middle school and university students whose Chinese ranges from elementary to advanced. As a graded reader, its value lies in presenting a complete story at controlled language difficulty, allowing learners to accumulate vocabulary and language intuition through comprehensible input while sustaining reading interest with the fantastical plot of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*. The second edition has a clear position within the graded system and is suitable as extracurricular extensive reading material rather than an intensive reading textbook. When reading, there is no need to look up every word; read through first to grasp the plot, then return to high-frequency words that recur. You can use the accompanying audio or read aloud to practice sentence flow, and after finishing, retell the story in your own words to check comprehension. If used in class, it is advisable to follow the level sequence to avoid frustration from skipping levels.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Middle school students at the intermediate Chinese level seeking extracurricular extensive reading materials
Learners of Chinese as a second language who wish to build reading confidence through stories
International Chinese teachers who need graded readers as classroom supplements or homework

Not a good fit for

Researchers of *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio* seeking the original text with scholarly annotations
Young children still at the pinyin启蒙 stage of Chinese
Readers hoping to use a single book to systematically prepare for Chinese proficiency exams

Reading tips

Read through once without looking up words, grasping the main characters and plot, then revisit key words that affect comprehension
Copy recurring high-frequency words onto flashcards and make sentences in context after reading to reinforce them
After finishing, retell the story orally in Chinese or write a three-to-five-sentence summary to check comprehension
Practice reading aloud, paying attention to pauses and intonation

About the publisher

Peking University Press China · Founded in 1979

Peking University Press is a comprehensive university press whose publishing areas cover classical literature, popular science, social culture, world history, Western philosophy, and culture. Its catalogue contains 6,031 titles, with representative books including A Dream of Red Mansions, Relativity: The Special and General Theory (15th Edition) (with Einstein's classic papers on unified field theory and other topics), Elements, Conics, The Aristocratic Families of the Eastern Jin, The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume I), The Philosophy of Mythology (Volume II), and The Origin of Continents and Oceans. Representative authors include Cao Xueqin, Zhou Ruchang, Albert Einstein, Euclid, Apollonius, Tian Yuqing, Schelling, and Xian Gang. The press has developed distinctive strengths in classical Chinese literature and in the translation of Western philosophical classics, while also covering scientific classics and social and cultural studies. As public information is limited, this description is based only on the books in the catalogue and offers no further extrapolation.

版权信息
前言
Foreword
主要人物和地方名称
1. 放假真好！
2. 一张画儿掉在小河旁边
3. 漂亮的姑娘要去哪儿？
4. 王生快乐得忘了家人
5. 老婆觉得这姑娘不简单
6. 有什么不对的地方吗？
7. 这哪里是一张漂亮的脸呀？
8. 王生的心被她拿走了
9. 就是那个老女人！
10. 要他活过来只有一个办法
11. 这一觉睡得真舒服！
12. 这个心应该给谁呢？
13. 王生像变了一个人
生词表
练习
练习答案
为所有中文学习者（包括华裔子弟）编写的第一套系列化、成规模、原创性的大型分级轻松泛读丛书
For the first time ever, Chinese has an extensive series of
“汉语风”系列读物其他分册

FAQ

What Chinese level is this book suitable for?

It is Volume 2 of Level 3 in the "Chinese Breeze" graded reader series, aimed at the corresponding stage of middle school and university students whose Chinese ranges from elementary to advanced. To determine whether it suits you, try reading the first few pages: if there are too many unfamiliar words to follow the plot, go down a level; if it poses almost no challenge, go up a level.

How different is the adapted story from the original *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*?

This book is a graded reader adapted from a story in *Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio*; to control language difficulty, the plot and expression have been simplified and it cannot replace reading the original. Its purpose is to let learners accumulate reading experience through comprehensible input. If you are interested in the original, you should read it separately after improving your level.

Can it be used as an intensive reading textbook?

It is better used as extensive reading material. Graded readers are designed for fluent reading and sustaining interest; sentence-by-sentence intensive instruction would undermine this advantage. If used in class, you may select a small number of passages for language-point instruction and practice, leaving the rest for students to read independently.

Comments

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About the author

刘月华 Author

Liu Yuehua is an author with limited publicly available information. The library currently holds 18 of her works, spanning categories such as motivational growth and examinations. Judging from her representative titles, she has contributed to a variety of reading materials and exercise books for Chinese language learners, including Qingfeng (Second Edition), If You Were Not Here, Two Children Who Want to Fly to the Sky (Second Edition), Wrong, Wrong, Wrong! (Second Edition), Who Do You Like Best? (Second Edition), The Computer Company's Secret (Second Edition), and Mother and Son (Second Edition). Many of these titles use short questions or suspenseful phrasing, suggesting graded reading and language practice materials; several are marked "Second Edition," indicating that the readers have been revised and remain in use. Because her dates of birth and death, nationality, and detailed biography cannot be confirmed, this introduction does not address her personal life and instead summarizes her writing focus based on the library's holdings: short stories and everyday situations used for language learning and reading practice.

储诚志 Author

Chu Chengzhi is a Chinese-language author with a substantial body of work, though public information about him is limited: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly documented, and nineteen of his titles are held in the collection. Judging from the representative works listed, he writes mainly for young readers and language learners, with titles often falling under inspirational growth and exam-preparation categories. Books such as If You Were Not Here, Who Do You Like Best?, Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!, Left and Right, and Mother and Son draw on everyday choices, emotions, and relationships, in plain language and with plots close to readers' own experience; Qingfeng (Second Edition), The Computer Company's Secret (Second Edition), and Two Children Who Wanted to Fly (Second Edition) circulate in revised editions, suggesting sustained reading demand. Overall, his works emphasize readability and growth themes and suit beginning readers and classroom support.

谢勤 Author

Xie Qin is an author about whom limited public information is available. The library currently holds two works by this author, The Story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai and Painted Skin (2nd Edition), while the author's nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name are not clearly recorded. Judging from the existing works, Xie Qin's writing involves the retelling and adaptation of folk legends and classical tales, with subject matter that carries a distinct traditional cultural flavor. The works are commonly classified under inspirational growth and language and writing, suggesting that the author's writing combines storytelling with attention to language expression. Because of the lack of biographical information and statements about the writing, it is still difficult to assess the overall style and development of the author's work. Nevertheless, based on the two works currently available, the author appears inclined to retell classic stories in an accessible and readable manner, making traditional material more approachable for contemporary readers. The number of works is small, and their reach and reader reception await further evidence; should new works or additional author information become available, the description of the author's writing direction could be further refined.