[INLINE] [INLINE] [LINK] [INLINE] What is HyperChina? HyperChina is a complete courseware for learning Mandarin Chinese own your own. It provides the learner with an interactive and interesting environment for learning this difficult language. The depth of information contained in HyperChina is unmatched by any other textbook or language learning program on Chinese. The Macintosh version is currently shipping, and the Windows/Macintosh CD-ROM will be available in early 1997. ____________________________________________________ [INLINE] Why Use HyperChina? Are you tired of outdated, impractical Chinese textbooks written 20 years ago and without sounds, or language tapes that are too much trouble to use? Are you having difficulty finding a Mandarin tutor who really knows how to explain why he/she speaks that way? Are you tired of paying tuition for language classes only to forget everything after 6 months? With HyperChina, you have random-access to all the resources you need to start to speak, read and write Chinese. You can study in a completely relaxed and non-competitive environment, and yet get detailed explanations and guidance from teachers with just a few mouse-clicks. HyperChina is a no-nonsense program that lets you learn Chinese without wasting time and money. And it really works. ____________________________________________________ [INLINE] Top 10 Reasons to Get HyperChina: 10. Travel without fear to China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan 9. Study acupuncture, Qigong, I Ching, Confucius, Lao Tzu, Sun Tzu... 8. Prepare for the new S.A.T. Chinese test 7. Brush up on the language you once studied but forgot completely 6. Show off your PowerBook laptop in cafes or on airplanes... 5. Make big money doing business with China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong 4. Communicate with your Chinese friends, or parents! 3. Understand 1.2 billion fellow world citizens 2. Order authentic Chinese dishes in Chinese restaurants! 1. Get a head start learning that "Sino-Logic 16" VR computer previewed in "Johnny Mnemonic"! ____________________________________________________ [INLINE] Main Features of HyperChina [INLINE] We Break the Rules: This is not your run-of-the-mill "repeat-after-me, do-a-few-drills, play-a-few-games, here's-some-color-pictures" type of language course. Written by artists/writers/scholars/educators, HyperChina is a program with character. It is a creative effort at designing the best possible course for you. If something bores us, we won't put it in the program to bore the user. We do everything to make sure that you can understand the material perfectly and that you will be able to actually use what you learn. Yes, we do care about how well you learn the language. [INLINE] Totally Fresh Design: HyperChina is designed from the ground up to take advantage of computer-aided learning. We offer a new pedagogy in studying Chinese. It is not a computerized version of existing textbooks or phrasebooks. [INLINE] Friendly Guidance: You will feel just like studying face to face with two experienced (and tireless) teachers of Mandarin Chinese. We don't throw information or grammar rules at you - we explain everything in detail and without reservation (for example, there are extensive usage notes for every single word and sentence, not just a translation). We guide you through the whole course, giving you tips and advice along the way. There is even a special section that discusses the best strategies for studying Chinese effectively, based on our extensive teaching experiences (you don't get this from most Chinese teachers). [INLINE] Interactive Environment: Not passive learning - you really get involved. Interactive drills, animated calligraphy, talking clock and dictionary, and much more. [INLINE] Ease of Use: Completely graphical interface. Just point-and-click, so you can concentrate on learning the language, not the software. Instant on-line help, Dictionary, and User Manual are also available. [INLINE] Lots of Clear Sounds: 2,000 words and phrases, all with clear sound for repeated listening. [INLINE] The Right Accent: Not only do you get high-quality recordings of the voices of native speakers for every word and sentence, but you also have special sections devoted to improving the learner's accent, pronouncing difficult consonants and vowels, and correcting commonly made mistakes. [INLINE] Real Chinese: You'll learn only what the Chinese people actually say in real life, in the 1990s (no more political jargon from the Cultural Revolution days or made-up diplomatic dialogue that you find in most textbooks). [INLINE] Depth of Material: Learn to speak, read, and write standard Chinese - this is a complete, two-year college-level Mandarin course. This is not a flashcard drills or tutorial program to learn a few dozen words and phrases with. [INLINE] Culturally-Oriented: Should you learn Chinese without learning how to hold your rice bowl when eating? No. You will find cultural information and tips all over HyperChina - how to bargain when shopping in China, how to decipher a Chinese menu and order authentic Chinese food, a taste of classical Chinese poetry, Chinese etiquette, etc., and there is even a whole section on Chinese popular music! [INLINE] No-nonsense Grammar: Chinese grammar couldn't be easier to understand. There is a complete Grammar section for each lesson. Also, we don't confuse you with difficult grammar patterns that you'll never have a chance to use in real life. [INLINE] You Are in Control: You can decide how and how much you want to study. Jump to any section, listen to any word 200 times - you're in control. You don't have to follow a linear learning pattern if you don't want to. You can learn a lot by just jumping around in the program. [INLINE] Hear Your Own Voice: Record your pronunciation and compare it to the teacher's. This is a language lab at your finger tip. [INLINE] Calligraphy Lessons: Learn to write hundreds of Chinese characters. Animation shows, stroke by stroke and in real time, how each character is written. And you can practice writing with the mouse or graphics tablet right on the screen. [INLINE] Great for Educators!: Leave the repetitive tasks of tutoring pronunciation, substitution drills, and explaining grammar to HyperChina. It will save you energy and precious time. [INLINE] Free Update and Support via Internet: Support for HyperChina users can be found in our exciting electronic magazine, Chinese Learner's Alternative Page (CLAP) , which is updated on a weekly basis. There you can find additional study material and up-to-date information on language and culture, as well as useful links to China-related WWW sites. This enables the learner to be on top of what's happening in the world of Chinese language and culture, and to exchange ideas and thoughts on studying Chinese with others. [INLINE] And It's Fun, Too!: Music, graphics, interactive drills, and games actually make studying Chinese painless! [INLINE] In Other Words - We want to hear you speak perfect Chinese! ____________________________________________________ [INLINE] What People Say... [INLINE] "This is computer-aided learning at its best, and a clever way of making you spend more time studying than you realise..." - from Teresa Taras's 4-star review of HyperChina in The Mac (England), September 1996, p. 43. [INLINE] [INLINE] "HyperChina is superior Mandarin courseware, the best electronic Chinese language-learning program anywhere. I recommend HyperChina for its intelligence, its effectiveness as a teaching tool and for its vision." - from Christopher R. Clowery's 5-star review of HyperChina ("Mandarin Courseware with Character") in the BMUG Fall 1996 Newsletter (available at computer bookstores or directly from Peachpit Press). [INLINE] "I would like to say that I love your HyperChina language program. I am studying everyday with your software and have a tutor as well, two days a week. Your program is very sophisticated and yet simple to use, allowing me to practice over and over without rewinding tapes or changing cassettes... If you need any testimonials for potential buyers of the program, please use my name, email (jlika@lika.com) or telephone. I will be happy to share my full support of your excellent work. Please let me know of any new upgrades or new developments with the program. I am also very happy that this program works with Macintosh Power PC's. Thank you, again. Zaijian, John Lika" President, Fat Cat Inc. Colchester, Vermont [INLINE] "We have very much enjoyed and been profited by studying with HyperChina during our time here in Dalian." - J.T., Dalian, China [INLINE] "I have only gone through lesson 4 in HyperChina, but my Chinese friends seem to be genuinely impressed with my progress." - A.C., Milwaukee [INLINE] "Your Chinese wonder cube just arrived... Just played around with the program for an hour. It is really fun! The sound quality is excellent." P.S.: What are 'Haw flakes'?" - B.P., Germany [INLINE] "Your program is great!!!!" - T.P., Colorado [INLINE] "I am going to Beijing in 1997, and HyperChina has really given me excellent preparation in the language for this trip." - R.H., San Francisco [INLINE] "Well, it came yesterday, and I've been having a blast playing around with it. Yes, I promise I'll stop playing around with it and start using it... I enjoyed the manner in which it was packed, and the idea of using haw flakes as packing material was rather original and very tasty." "You're a good teacher, Yao Dajuin! Had I known about this stuff when I was a Cal undergrad, I would've taken the class. Of course, that was the early 80s; you probably weren't teaching it..." "Who's the lucky woman that got to record about 5 billion words and sentences into the computer?" "...I'm FINALLY really going through HyperChina. The more I use it, the more I like it." - M.S., Stanford University [INLINE] "I am the Macintosh Support person here at Lawrence University, and one of our professors recently purchased a single copy of HyperChina. She enjoys the product, and would like to use it with her classes... How should I go about installing it on our server? Also, what is the pricing and policy for buying site licenses for HyperChina? Thank you for your time and a wonderful product." - B.P.S., Lawrence University [INLINE] "I got the demo disk today; many thanks. In the twenty-seven years since I stopped studying Chinese, I've been looking for a practical, affordable way to get my Mandarin good again... Now I've found it. From what I can see in the demo, this is a tremendously well-thought-out and useful piece of software. How it works for people who don't know any Chinese, I can't say, but for my needs it looks perfect. I'll be placing an order next month, when the program won't distract me from urgent work I'm inclined to avoid. But I had to write at once to say how impressed I am... Anyway, thanks again, and hats off to a wonderful idea seemingly very well done indeed." - D.K, AOL [INLINE] "My wife thinks the packaging you use for HyperChina is a nice touch." - D.R., Pennsylvania [INLINE] OUR OTHER USERS include: The Motorola Group, the C.I.A., University of California, Davis, University of Minnesota, University of Massachusetts, University of Alabama, Tulane University, Chinese American International School, Reed College, Cal. State Fresno, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology... ____________________________________________________ [INLINE] CD-ROM for Windows/Macintosh Coming! HyperChina CD-ROM (v.2.0) for Windows and Macintosh is under development and is scheduled for release in early 1997. Current users of HyperChina will get a FREE upgrade to the CD-ROM ! NEW FEATURES for the CD-ROM include: Chinese Name Picker module employs artificial intelligence to give you nice-sounding, actually usable Chinese names, either randomly or based on your own name. You can also pick individual characters based on their sounds and/or meanings. All the characters are listed in tables with "meanings" popup balloons and pronunciation. After your Chinese name is selected, you can hear your name pronounced, and even print out a business card! Chinese teachers, imagine how much time this module alone will save you? (Click here to see a screen shot.) QuickTime Video clips of Chinese people speaking real Chinese on location in China! (Who needs videos of talking heads filmed in the studio?) Accent Workshop familiarizes you with all the major regional accents of Mandarin (Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan, Fujian/Taiwan, Cantonese, etc). Now this is "real" Chinese! And you won't get this anywhere else! Real-life Reading includes photographs of actual materials found in everyday life: newspapers, advertisements, medicine instructions, product packaging, restaurant menus, shop signs, street signs, bus-stop signs, dollar bills, receipts, maps, business cards ... Composition word-processing module allows users with Chinese systems to get started on writing letters and short essays, etc., using sample template writings on different practical subjects (general and business correspondence, diary entries, birthday cards, etc.) (Click here to see a screen shot.) Business Guide includes basic and advanced vocabulary, dialogues, readings, sample business writing, Internet business resources, and more. Expanded ChinaGuide section will include more fun and useful modules, such as the Chinese Zodiac, Travel Guide, Recipes, etc. Expanded Talking Dictionary with about 3,000 entries, in both traditional and simplified characters, and clear sound. Instant Toggle Between Traditional and Chinese Characters. (Both scripts are provided in the Dictionary section in the current version, but the user will have both anywhere in the CD-ROM version.) Scratch Pad allows the user to take notes, practice writing characters, cut and paste different scraps and pieces. (Click here to see a screen shot.) Chinese Computing Tutorial (terminology, input methods, available software, word-processing in Chinese, Internet and Chinese, etc.) Chinese Clip Art gives you copyright-free monochrome and color clip art for use in any application. And more power features that we cannot tell you now. | Download - Macintosh Version Demo | How to Order | | Get Reviews of HyperChina | | Chinese Learner's Alternative Page | China Links | SinoLogic Home | ____________________________________________________ Updated: December 9, 1996 Web Design: SinoLogic Software Copyright © 1996 SinoLogic Software All Rights Reserved