A good book for Chinese English learner

I found an interesting book during my last visit to the Guilin Library. It is called “Here They Come! Are You Ready- An American’s perspective on Hosting the Olympic Games”. It was written by Michael D. Knapp. Mr. Knapp lived in China for almost 11 years and married a Chinese woman. So he understands Chinese culture very well. This book is mainly about the culture difference between Chinese and Americans (Westerners). It prepares Chinese people to get along well with people from western counties. I like this book because it was all based on the author's experience in China. The language is simple but the description is vivid. I learned a lot that I never know before. For example, most Chinese people think that it is backward for a street full of vendors. But the author doesn't think so. He said “China is not the only place in the world where street vendors can be seen. Many cities in the united states and other countries also enjoy street vendors”.

One thing confused most Chinese English-learner is the answer to Yes or No question. According to the author, the key is to remember, In Chinese, you agree or disagree with the question, which in English, you agree or disagree with the fact. For example, the American boss said to his Chinese employee
“so you don’t want me to fire you, right? “ the employee don’t want to be fired, but he replied” Yes” . the correct answer to the question is “ no, I don’t want to be fired”.

I would like to recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the cultural difference between Chinese and westerners. The ISBN for this book is 978-7-111-23065-6. Or you can find this book in Guilin Library by using the code: H319 4:G04 14-80.