Taking into the considerations of the different aspects between English and Chinese, the language backgrounds and learning habits of our students as well as the difficultness of mastering Chinese characters for English native speakers, we developed a two-year undergraduate course for students with no prior background in Chinese study. Retaining its focus on communicative skills and the long-term retention of characters, the text is presented in pinyin from the outset with a gradual and phased removal of pinyin as specific characters are introduced and learnt. This unique approach allows students to benefit from the support of pinyin in the initial stages as they begin speaking while ensuring they are guided and supported towards reading only in characters. This paper details the different ways in the textbook to help our students learn and retain Chinese.