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Intermediate Mandarin

Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 2:01 pm
by Stephen Gardner
Hi Guys,
I'm new to this forum so forgive me if this question has been asked before.
I have recently just finished a beginners Mandarin Chinese book. (Pinyin)
I would like to move to the next level and have a few questions about what to do next.
The book that I was learning from taught Mandarin Chinese in Pinyin; does this mean that I do not have to learn the characters?
Do people in China read papers, magazines etc in Pinyin or is this just to get you started.
Is it a case of if I wanted 'just' to speak Mandarin Pinyin would be fine, but if I wanted to read and understand Mandarin I would need to learn the characters?
Any help appreciated.
Kind regards
Stephen