Learning Mandarin Chinese language is a lot about learning the ancient Chinese culture. The Chinese poems are part and parcel of the Chinese culture. The classic poems offer a unique opportunity not only to understand the ancient culture, but also an interesting way to learn very important Mandarin phrases and idioms. These poems, passed down from generation to generation, have tremendous cultural significance in China.
The volume, 3rd in the "Introduction to Chinese Culture Series", includes both the Chinese text (simplified characters) and pinyin. With about 1000 unique Chinese characters, the volume would be suitable for the beginners, lower intermediate and advanced level Chinese language learners (HSK 1-6). Overall, the reading series offers you a variety of elementary level books (Level 1/2/3) to learn Chinese culture as well as practice Chinese reading fast.