The Silk Road Journey: Business Chinese textbook series is a professional and systematic set of business Chinese materials, comprising 4 elementary-level volumes, 2 intermediate-level volumes, and 2 advanced-level volumes, totaling 8 volumes. It serves as an essential guide for learners to comprehensively and systematically master business Chinese, understand the broader context of Chinese business, and become well-versed in Chinese business culture.

Set against the business backdrop of Tangda Company—a Sino-foreign joint venture engaged in the import and export of apparel products—the content of the textbooks revolves around core characters including Tang Yunda, the Chinese general manager of Tangda Company, Wang Li, the general manager’s assistant, Li Fang, the marketing director, and David, the foreign business manager stationed in China. These characters conduct business activities in a series of quasi-realistic business scenarios, providing learners with an integrated knowledge framework of Chinese language, business practices, and cultural insights.

This textbook series is suitable for international students in China specializing in business Chinese, overseas learners of business Chinese, professionals engaged in China-related business activities, and individuals interested in China’s economic development. It aims to meet their needs for learning Chinese language, business knowledge, and Chinese culture, while also helping them enhance their business literacy and cross-cultural communication competence.

In its design philosophy, this textbook series centers on the trinity knowledge system of "Chinese + Business + Culture" as its core content, adopts the three-dimensional educational goals of "knowledge imparting, competence cultivation, and quality improvement" for curriculum-based education, and takes business Chinese skills, economic theoretical knowledge, and the Chinese business environment and culture as its training content. Adhering to the fundamental principles of integrating theory with practice, unifying knowledge with skills, and aligning teaching with character education, it constructs an interdisciplinary business Chinese knowledge system and a flexible, efficient learning approach.

1.Trinity Content Design of "Chinese + Business + Culture"

This book integrates the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing with professional business knowledge, and embeds business culture knowledge into the course content. It enables learners to understand Chinese business thinking, familiarize themselves with Chinese business policies and the business environment on the basis of mastering Chinese business expressions, thereby facilitating smooth cross-cultural business communication.

2.Emphasis on Content Relevance

First, the themes of each unit are interrelated. The unit themes are highly sequential. For example, the topics of e-commerce, sales promotion, and payment methods in Volume 1 all revolve around the core theme of sales, helping learners gain an in-depth understanding of the main business of trading companies. Second, the compilation of texts follows professional logic. For instance, the units on transportation and warehousing, insurance, and breach of contract compensation in Volume 2 are organized in the order of the import and export business process, which helps deepen learners’ comprehension of business workflows. Third, attention is paid to the connection and coherence between the elementary, intermediate, and advanced stages of the series.

3.Implementation of the "Practice First" Teaching Principle

The textbook strives to create a realistic business environment and emphasizes practical experience. For example, a brief background introduction is provided before each dialogue, and text outlines are included in the exercises to help students deepen their understanding of the texts. Meanwhile, task chains are designed in the unit exercises, featuring a three-step practical activity framework. Through hands-on practice, students’ memory of various business themes is strengthened, and their sense of immersion in real trade activities is enhanced.