ABSTRACT
Chinese Letter writing, as a kind of Chinese Practical Writing, has been adopted in Chinese textbooks for many years. Chinese-speaking areas, Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan with their respective economic, political and cultural backgrounds, adopt different approaches in the choice of Chinese Letters. This chapter investigates the differences in texts from the three regions through a comparative analysis of Chinese Letters in Junior Secondary School Chinese textbooks. The analysis applies Transitivity and Appraisal Theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics. The research results indicate that while Chinese Letter in Mainland China implies a pecking order and is full of patriotism, there is a higher status for mother in Chinese Letter in Hong Kong. Chinese Letter in Taiwan sheds light on a favourable view of humanity which means an equal relationship between father and daughter.
