Do you know any good Chinese course that I could buy?
You have several options. Chinese really needs to be practiced with someone who is fluent. However, you do have to put in the hours of study - especially if you want to read and write. One of the best ways is to find a tutor or language exchange partner, which should be quite easy via the classifieds on this site. Just bear in mind that not all language exchange partners are quite what they seem...There are also many good language schools. Usually a combination of intense classroom work and study, coupled with a tutor or language exchange partner is the best bet.
There are tons of books out there. If you're in Shanghai check out the foreign language bookstores on Fuzhou Rd and Garden Books on Changle Rd. If you're somewhere else, you'll have to see what's available in your area or online.
I recommend the Power Chinese CD-ROM. It's very good and very useful. Also, the book, Teach Yourself Chinese by Liz Scurfield is pretty good and comes with a cassette. Another useful book for those who are a bit more advanced is Making Out in Chinese, which covers more, um, colourful language. If you want something a little more light-hearted and want to practice your writing, then anything from Peng's Chinese Treaury is great, with comic strip depictions of how to write each character and how they came to be.
There are also some books available on Cantonese and Shanghainese if those take your fancy, and language tutors for Shanghainese are plentiful. Sure, it won't be much use outside of Shanghai, but at least you'll be able to understand the convenience store clerks!
