I came across Chineasy in a book store and was amazed at the design and function of this learning style towards Chinese characters. When I began to study Chinese I had used a similar method before I found these Chineasy picture cards, where I cut out paper cards on one side I had Chinese characters with prompting pictures and Pinyin on the reverse side. I great and cheaper alternative for learning specific words. Though, Chineasy seems to be a great tool for introducing the language to recognize characters with fun illustrations. See video one on for ShaoLan’s Chineasy: Lesson 1 Source: (Lan, 2014).
Shao Lan the founder and creator of Chineasy and being an entrepreneur and traveler, see video two below of her explaining Chineasy in a Kick starter Film. Her aim is to bridge the East and West language barriers to communication. In searching for Chinese learning resources, there is a evident gap in the marketplace for English speakers to learn Chinese as a second language. Though, many learning resources for Chinese speakers to learn English as a second language. You can access Chineasy via the Web and on material resources such as in her published books. An important aspect to why Chineasy is known and commended world wide is that it is available in over 12 languages.
The magical power of the Chineasy method is that by learning one small set of building blocks, students can build many new words, characters, and phrases. With very little effort, learners will be able to read several hundred Chinese characters and phrases and gain a deeper understanding of the historical and cultural influences behind the vocabulary. Even though there are tens of thousands of Chinese characters, only a few hundred are actually necessary to comprehend basic Chinese literature and begin to delve into Chinese culture and art. (Chineasy Press Kit)
Video two Chineasy by ShaoLan: Kickstarter Film
Source: (Lan, 2014).
All rights reserved for the creators of the show, I do not own any of this material, see terms of use.
Resources
Website (Chineasy) <http://chineasy.org/>.
Website (Personal) <http://shaolan.com/>.
The Economist <http://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21599323-new-way-teaching-chinese-ideograms-foreign-audiences-memory-game>.
Featured image supplied from Unsplash.