Dear Tim
I am very glad to receive your letter. Now let me tell you something about how to learn Chinese well. Learning Chinese just like learning any other foreign language, is hard work. Learning Chines takes time so you should spend as much time as you can. Use Chinese whenever you can. This is very important. The more you use Chinese, the better you will learn it. So why not take every oppotunity to practise using Chinese for communication. And you'd better listen to the tape and repeat after it, watch Chinese films and TV programmes, read Chinese stories and newspapers and so on. "No pains, no gains". If we work hard, I am sure we will learn Chinese well. That's all. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours
Jack