A Prime Minister as an interpreter? Find out when and why MM Lee had to do it.

For the first time, this towering figure of the island-state's politics gives a first-hand account of How he has learnt Mandarin over the last 50 years and kept it alive. He also tells When and Why he decided to learn the language, Where he got hold of the learning materials from, Whom he practises his Mandarin with and What spurs him on.

MM Lee goes beyond these 5Ws and 1H in Keeping My Mandarin Alive, to share the agony of a mature Chinese language student and how he has overcome the difficulties � he strove to learn Mandarin only at age 32 (from 1955) and Hokkien at age 38 (from 1961).

The comprehensive package also details how the English-educated MM Lee has been relating Mandarin to his master language in an effort to grasp the former and unravels how the latest technology has helped him in his quest.

Edited by Dr Chua Chee Lay, one of MM Lee's Chinese tutors, Keeping My Mandarin Alive comprises:

�	a book detailing his lifelong pursuit peppered with interesting photographs and comments from his Chinese language tutors
�	a DVD-Rom featuring snippets of an exclusive interview with Lee Kuan Yew and a demo version of the software he has been using to learn Mandarin
�	samples of materials that Lee Kuan Yew has been using to pick up the language
�	a guide on what resources (Chinese software, useful websites and dictionaries, among others) one can tap on to learn Mandarin

This book is also available in Chinese.

Contents:

• Quotable Quotes
• Interview with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew
• Teaching Chinese to Adults
• Learn as We Teach
• Relating Chinese to English
• Learning Materials
• Some Useful Resources for Chinese Language Learning

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Readership: Mandarin learners (especially people with some foundation in Mandarin, lose it along the way and hope to re-equip themselves with the language).

"In addition to his historic role as the founding father of Singapore and his accomplishments as one of the world's most renowned statesmen, Minister Mentor Lee is also a leader in addressing the significance of understanding a culture through its language. Language is the key to culture and knowledge. Minister Lee shares his journey through the process of learning Mandarin as an adult and thereby gaining a deeper appreciation of Chinese culture. Through these thoughtful reflections, he provides important lessons for language scholars and for all students of culture."

Henry T Yang Chancellor, UC Santa Barbara

"By telling a remarkable and fascinating story of a best known and most respected political leader in Asia in his effort to learn and use Chinese and how it has affected his life, this book will inspire many readers for years to come.�

Gregory C Chow Princeton University, USA

"Excellently engaging, the book based on the author's unique position and personal experiences is most informative. One of his key points is on learning a 'precise' Mandarin, not the Singaporean Mandarin, the dialectic Mandarin or even pedestrian Mandarin or Peking Mandarin (which is more dialectic than many others based on my own experiences), in which the origin or the proficiency of the teachers are of utmost importance."

Chih-Tang Sah Emeritus Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

"I am indeed impressed with Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's 'Language Learning Experience' and his mastery of several different languages. Above all, his wisdom in deciding on the bilingual policy of English and Mandarin, to the exclusion of other dialects. This is because there are few people who can master another dialect besides the two languages necessary for the long-term future of the Chinese community."