Introduction

The chapter states the rationale and significance of Learning and Teaching Chinese as a First Language: International Perspectives. The book aims to investigate the learning and teaching of Chinese in different aspects, including four skills, culture, technology-assisted learning and learner identity. By focusing on the teaching practices of Chinese at different levels, it aims to shed light on teaching Chinese as a first language (L1). Theoretically, it broadens the linguistic and geographical reach of previous works on language education that mainly examine English as a lingua franca or children's L1 acquisition. Drawing upon language learning theories, it is hoped to justify the applicability of language theories in the L1 and Chinese as a non-alphabetic language and examine the impact and effectiveness of some theories in Chinese learning and teaching. The discussion also aims to challenge the traditional approaches by introducing innovative practices in learning and teaching the L1. Copyright © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Sin Manw Sophia Lam, John Chi-Kin Lee and Chung Mou Si; individual chapters, the contributors.