This paper discusses the teaching of Chinese to both students with Chinese background and students with non-Chinese background. It is suggested that students with a Chinese background be separated from those without a Chinese background in order not to discourage the latter group from studying Chinese. Chinese background students should be taught Chinese language in a cultural context and not the language alone. The paper also discusses the use of appropriate teaching materials. Among the materials that are not suitable are official documents, humorous works, or classics, like poetry from the Sung and Tang Dynasties. In general, Chinese poetry is not recommended for language teaching. What is suitable is "modern Chinese." Modern Chinese refers to the language of the common people, or "baihuawen" introduced after May 4th, 1919. Essays in this category would be a good source of teaching material, especially those that use the first person in writing and talk about ordinary things, without criticism or controversy. The "text" itself should be the focus in teaching and not the various "contexts," or what is surrounding or implied in the text. (WW)