The two-volume collection of texts includes texts in shorthand related to contemporary China and its history. It is based on the long-term teaching experiences of the authors and feedback from German students. It is oriented towards the common language level of high school foundational courses. By favoring simple sentences and everyday language expressions, and taking into account the vocabulary that students have already learned, it enables successful learning experiences and increases motivation. Each text includes an annotated word list that contains vocabulary relevant to the text, even if individual words have been covered in previous texts. This allows students and colleagues to select a specific text based on their interests without needing to spend additional time on vocabulary explanations. Comprehension questions and text interpretation assignments are included.