Film，due to its capacity to be narratively powerful, graphically appealing, swift in tempo and vivid and natural in its use of language, has always been welcomed by language learners to supplement their studies. However, given such limitations as copyright issues, the sheer amount of material available, limited class hours, etc. compiling teaching material based on movies is by no means an easy task．

Thanks to the most generous support of Beijing World Publishing Corporation and Polybona Film Distribution Co., Ltd., through a selection of outstanding movies we may now offer such teaching material to students who are interested in Chinese culture and devoted to improving their knowledge of the Chinese language. In narrowing down and finalizing the selection, we gave particular emphasis to themes relating to real life, colorful characters and everyday plain-spoken language. Endowed with these qualities, most of the selected films have won various awards, and can effectively reflect modem Chinese society from a number of perspectives. On the basis of many years of experience in teaching Chinese to foreigners and compiling teaching materials, we have designed lively and practical exercises convenient both for teachers and students alike. The result is this series of teaching material for intermediate and advanced students.

There are two volumes, each consisting of 6-7 chapters, each chapter supported by approximately 20 minutes of video clips, and requiring about 8 class hours to complete. Each chapter is further divided into six parts, namely story introduction, character introduction, selected dialogue, extensive practice, reading exercise and vocabulary exercise. Recommendations for the use of each section are given below.

The story and character introductions allow learners to form a general idea of the movie before advancing to the core body of the text.

The selected dialogue section is the heart of each chapter, composed of selected parts of the movie’s original script, faithfully keeping to the lines therein. Each chapter contains scripts for 4-6 scenes, with each scene dealt with in the following manner:
1. The exercises that appear before the script serve as a warm- up, dropping hints about the scene in question. This enables learners to better understand the scene without needing to be familiar with specific plot details, thus gearing them up for related discussion. The corresponding scene should be watched once or twice.
2. For convenience of use, new vocabulary and expressions are provided in the right-hand column alongside the script, also including phrases and words that reflect social and cultural phenomena.
3. The exercises that appear after the script serve two main purposes: first, to help students delve more deeply into the intricacies of the plot and grasp the new vocabulary by means of answering questions, re-enacting and SO on; second, to encourage students to express and exchange their thoughts on the concepts and phenomena portrayed in the movie through discussion, debate, thinking up alternate endings etc. Again, the corresponding scene should be watched once or twice．

Extensive practice does not include sections of script, nor does it require students to conquer particular vocabulary or grammar points, but rather gently challenges them, requiring them to free up their thinking and work out their vocal chords.

The reading exercise sections are somewhat rich in content, including reviews on the movies in question, more selected dialogue, lyrics from the soundtrack etc. helping students further understand the movie and the social and cultural aspects it communicates.

Vocabulary exercises focus on consolidating the new words and expressions encountered in each chapter through intensive practice.

Whether the movies are viewed in their entirety or in part, should be decided according to study conditions and students ‘needs; the movies can be viewed during class under the teacher’s guidance, or independently after class.

The teaching material is composed of the text and material on the DVD. The two are mutually complementary, and have been carefully designed to be used simultaneously. Additional resources are provided for teachers ‘use, including basic information on the movies such as release dates, introductions of directors and actors, film reviews, lyrics, suggestions for movies with similar themes, etc. in order to aid teachers in providing essential guidance.

Film, through language and visual expression, presents us with rich content, with each movie unique in its own right. As for whether teaching material should highlight cultural content or language skills, in our opinion it’s not a zero sum game-one need not be emphasized above the other. Herein, we provide students with a possibility: by watching movies, students should be able to strengthen their command of the Chinese language and significantly further their insight into Chinese culture and society. The teacher is free to select, emphasize and leave out specific parts of the material according to students’ needs, and may explore beyond the course set in the textbook as they see fit.