The series Graded Readers for Chinese Language Learners is composed of 50 books, divided into three subseries, namely folktales, literary stories and historical stories, corresponding to Levels 1-3 respectively. The rich and fun content and easy-to-understand language makes it easy for everyone, whether they are foreigners learning Chinese, children with parents of Chinese origin, ethnic minority students of the Chinese language, or even primary school students in China, to read this series. It enables the readers to gradually improve their Chinese reading skills and enhance their understanding of Chinese culture by reading and enjoying stories.
The “Folktales” subseries includes 10 stories, hence 10 books, adapted from folk legends, each book written in 20,000-30,000 Chinese characters. The titles of the 10 books are Hua Mulan, Lady White Snake, The Cow Herder and the Weaver Girl, A Golden Millet Dream, Chang’e Flying to the Moon, The Old Man under the Moon, The Butterfly Lovers, Nie Xiaoqian, Chen Shimei, and Beauty from the Painting.
In the book The Butterfly Lovers, a girl called Zhu Yingtai persuaded his parents and disguised herself as a boy to pursue studies in Hangzhou. On the way to Hangzhou, she met her future classmate Liang Shanbo. They became friends immediately. During the following three years of studying together, the two of them built a very close relationship. Zhu fell in love with Liang, but her father was determined to marry her to another man called Ma Wencai. Eventually the lovelorn Liang died of depression and Zhu was so sad that she jumped into Liang’s tomb on her way to Ma’s home. The two lovers turned into butterflies and flied away.

“学汉语分级读物”丛书一共50本，包括民间故事、文学故事、历史故事三个系列，分别对应1、2、3级。本套读物内容丰富有趣，语言简单易懂，不论是学汉语的外国人、在国外的华人子女，还是学汉语的少数民族学生，甚至是国内的小学生，都可以轻松阅读。通过阅读，使读者在欣赏故事的同时，逐步提高汉语阅读能力，增进对中国文化的了解。
“民间故事”系列取材于中国的民间传说，一个故事一本书，每本2—3万字。本系列包括《花木兰》《白蛇传》《黄粱梦》《牛郎织女》《嫦娥奔月》《月下老人》《梁山伯与祝英台》《聂小倩》《陈世美》《画上的美人》10 本。
《梁山伯与祝英台》中女孩祝英台说服了父母，女扮男装到杭州求学，路上她遇到同往杭州上学的梁山伯，两人一见如故，之后同窗三年，结下深厚的感情。祝英台爱上了梁山伯，可是祝英台的父亲却要把祝英台嫁给马文才。梁山伯郁郁而终，祝英台悲痛万分，在前往马家的路上，她跳入坟墓，两人化蝶而飞。

Ms. Chen Xianchun is a professor at Beijing Language and Culture University who has engaged in the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language since 1975, equipped with rich Chinese teaching experience. Professor Chen has made profound research into the teaching of Chinese reading and has published, in addition to more than 20 academic papers, many monographs and textbooks such as Teaching Reading and Psychology, Typical Characters and Events in Chinese Culture, A Primer on Modern Chinese Reading, An Intensive Chinese Course, and Read This Way.

陈贤纯，北京语言大学教授，1975年开始从事对外汉语教学，具有丰富的汉语教学经验，并对汉语阅读教学有深入研究，发表论文20多篇，出版《外语阅读教学与心理学》《中国文化中的典型人物与事件》《现代汉语阅读入门》《汉语强化教程》《这样阅读》等多部专著与教材。