Gubo, Palanka, and Ding Yun Practical Chinese Reader Fanfiction

by PCRfanboy

21-year-old Libo, the main character of the New Practical Chinese Reader, is the son of Gubo and Ding Yun. What might have happened between Gubo and his long-term girlfriend, Palanka, from the original textbook of 1981? This fanfiction covers the time frame between a fateful Lunar New Year in 1981 and the publication of the New Practical Chinese Reader in 2002.

1. Chapter 1 Introduction

The idea for this story was born when boredom in class turned into an obsession with the characters from the original Practical Chinese Reader from 1981, still in use at a certain UK university. This story is for all those who have discovered that 21-year-old Libo, the main character of the New Practical Chinese Reader, is the son of Gubo and Ding Yun, leaving them to wonder what might have happened between Gubo and his long-term girlfriend, Palanka, from the original textbook. This fanfiction covers the time frame between a fateful Lunar New Year in 1981 and the publication of the New Practical Chinese Reader in 2002. It is a story of love and betrayal, of friendship and revenge, of cliffhangers and plot twists. If you have found this story, know that you have reached the deep end of the most unlikely of all fandoms. If you click any further, you automatically become a member of this secret and select club of Chinese learners who have all been subjected to the use of the PCR textbook. May this story bring you joy and motivation to continue learning with it. PLEASE leave a comment to let me know you have discovered this easter egg I planted for future generations of learners.

Note 1: If you want to find additional theories on what is going on behind the scenes of the PCR textbooks, I recommend checking out old forum discussions on forumosa .com. Some of the ideas used in this story came from a rumor published on this forum in the early 2000s about an existing fanfiction about Gubo, Ding Yun, and Palanka, supposedly written by an Oxford professor. While this rumor is not true (this has been confirmed by insiders), this story will try to make up for it.
Another treasure trove of PCR fan theories can be found in the comment section of the New PCR's You Tube channel.

Note 2: The observant reader may remark that, in the original PCR, Ding Yun met Palanka and Gubo when they were still studying in Canada and did not come with them on their trip to China (see chapters 29 and 30). For the sake of a coherent storyline, I have used some creative freedom in this fanfiction and had the three characters meet after Gubo and Palanka travelled to Beijing. If you don't like this diversion from canon, just pretend that Ding Yun travelled back home to China shortly before the holidays and helped Gubo and Palanka with their Chinese lessons while she was there.

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to the authors of the PCR, and the fanfiction was written with the help of ChatGPT. Just like the economic reforms of the PRC in the 1990s, I have strategically employed a separation of ownership and use rights to create this story.