Chang‘e Flying to the Moon (Chinese Reader, Level 1): A 500-Character Graded Story with Vocabulary Notes

About This Book

Chang’e Flying to the Moon is a Level 1 title in the “学汉语分级读物” series, published by Beijing Language and Culture University Press. It belongs to the 民间故事 strand, designed for learners who know roughly 500 of the most common Chinese characters. The series totals 50 books across three levels—folktales (Level 1), literary stories (Level 2), and historical stories (Level 3)—calibrated to 500, 800, and 1200 characters respectively.-3-6

The Story

Hou Yi is a brave tiger slayer. He falls in love with Chang‘e, a girl from a neighboring village. He travels to Tianshan to learn from the Queen Mother of the West, gains tremendous power, and returns to kill ten evil beasts that were harming people. He and Chang’e marry and live happily. But Feng Meng, a villain who has always wanted Chang‘e for himself, murders Hou Yi. Chang’e eats the magical pill the Queen Mother gave her, avenges her husband, and flies to the moon, where she becomes an immortal.-2-5

What’s Inside

• Graded Chinese text: simplified language, controlled character count and sentence difficulty, written for the 500-character level.

• Word definitions on every page: new words are glossed at the bottom of the page, with illustrations or text, so you can keep reading without stopping.

• Classical-style illustrations: artwork that echoes the story, helping you follow the plot and adjusting the reading rhythm.-3

• Vocabulary list and 500-character appendix: new words gathered at the back, plus the full Level 1 character list for review.