Although many educators believe that learning to read and write Mandarin Chinese is not easy (because of the complexities of its characters and grammar), it is common to find voracious and expert young readers in the early elementary school levels in Taiwan. The Chinese educational system is governed by a uniform curriculum and nationalized textbooks. In Taiwan, the first semester of the first grade is considered the most important in Chinese reading classrooms. A reading series called "Guo Yu" is provided. Reading instruction for first graders focuses on: (1) building up a strong oral vocabulary through extensive use of pictures; (2) developing automaticity in reading, writing, and blending the sound symbols; and (3) associating the symbols with characters by repeatedly reading, reciting, or copying the characters and sound symbols. Writing in the first grade classroom serves three purposes: improving the pupils' ability to identify and blend the sound symbols; developing proper handwriting; and sounding out and identifying characters automatically. Comprehension and study skills are the foci of subject area instruction required in the first-grade classroom. The concept of testing first-year pupils for placement is unheard of in Taiwan. Ability grouping in a classroom or across classrooms is forbidden and retention or assigning failing pupils to lower grade levels is not practiced at the elementary school. Most Chinese parents, whether they are working parents or parents with limited school education, consider their children's education a priority. (A table listing textbook contents in "Guo Yu" first grade and two writing samples from first-graders are included.) (RS)