本书通过用地道英语讲述中国传统文化故事，反映中国文化精神，旨在让学生在潜移默化中感知中外文化具体而微的差异，增强用英语阐释中国文化的语言能力。目前，多数大学英语教材以英语国家文化的语料为主导，很少有甚至缺少中国文化的语料，因此本书可以弥补大学英语教材的不足，丰富学生学习英语的语料。
本书精选能体现中华文化精髓的神话故事、民间故事、寓言、传说、战争故事、历史名人轶事、文学人物、戏剧人物等英语阅读材料，从中提炼出相应的思政主题(附录2)，让学生在英语学习中陶冶爱国主义情操，同时培养英语阅读技能，提高将中国文化文本翻译成英语的能力。
本书的主要特点在于用故事传达中国文化的精神内涵，将故事性、趣味性和思想性相统一。本书既可以作为中国文化课程教材使用，也可以作为大学英语教学的阅读和翻译教材，对备考大学英语四、六级考试有一定的参考价值。

Unit 1 Legends of Chinese Ancestors
Passage l Creation of Heaven and Earth by Pangu
Passage 2 Huangdi (Yellow Emperor) and Yandi (Red Emperor)
Unit 2 Anecdotes of Personages
Passage 1 Stopping Halfway, Never Comes One's Day
Passage 2 Bian Heh's Jade
Unit 3 Myths
Passage 1 The Story of Nezha
Passage 2 Meeting the Master
Unit 4 Fables
Passage 1 Carve on Gunwale of a Moving Boat
Passage 2 A Painted Snake Makes a Man Sick
Unit 5 Warriors
Passage 1 Battle of Maling
Passage 2 Battle of Hongshui
Unit 6 Folklores
Passage 1 Butterfly Lovers
Passage 2 Madam White Snake
Unit 7 Eight Immortals
Passage 1 The Eight Immortals Cross the Sea
Passage 2 Li Tieguai
Unit 8 Legends of Festivals
Passage l Cowherd and the Weaver Girl
Passage 2 Houyi Shot the Suns and Chang'e Flew to the Moon
Unit 9 Heroines
Passage 1 The Legend of Hua Mulan
Passage 2 Mu Guiying: A Female General of Many Talents
Unit 10 Four Beauties of Ancient China
Passage 1 Xi Shi
Passage 2 Wang Zhaojun
Unit 11 Buddhists
Passage 1 Ji Gong
Passage 2 The Princess Kwan-Yin
Unit 12 Fairy Tales
Passage 1 Why Dog and Cat are Enemies
Passage 2 The Bird with Nine Heads
Unit 13 Practioners of Chinese Medicine
Passage 1 Bian Que
Passage 2 Hua Tuo
Unit 14 Confucianists
Passage 1 Mencius and His Mother: A Lesson Drawn from Weaving
Passage 2 The Wolf of Zhongshan
Unit 15 Characters in Literature
Passage 1 The Peach Garden Oath
Passage 2 Lu Zhishen
Unit 16 Reformers
Passage 1 Reforming People's Norms -- Ximen Bao
Passage 2 Shang Yang -- A Great Reformer with a Cruel, Tragic Ending
Appendix 1
Key to Exercises
Appendix 2
Ideological and Political Themes
Credits