Overcoming the Challenges of Learning English in China

Every day on my way to work, I listen to online radio on my cell phone. But recently, I received a surprising notification that the radio service I was listening to will no longer be available on or after March 22nd, 2022. After arriving at my office, I researched the matter and discovered that the UK had revoked the license of Chinese CGTN, and China responded in kind. This development is easy to understand but hard to confront.

As an ordinary listener, I, like many typical Chinese people, need to access and utilize more English than the average. The BBC News is one of the few English outlets that we can still access freely. We rely on it to follow global news, technology trends, and business insights, as well as to practice and improve our English language skills.

English education in China is a significant phenomenon worldwide, with the largest population of English learners in the world. From the first year of elementary school or kindergarten to university graduation and post-doctoral education, we spend at least 16 years learning the language. Yet, the overall outcome is disappointing, with the general proficiency level much lower than most other countries, even lower than most of our neighboring Southeast Asian countries.

In my opinion, English is a foreign language in China, with little similarity to Chinese. We lack sufficient qualified English language teachers and accessible and free outlets to experience, learn, and practice the language. This causes most students to learn the language mainly through textbooks, without enough real-life interaction.

Some representatives at the ongoing "Two Sessions" 2021 have proposed downgrading English's status, not giving it the same weight as Chinese, math, and other subjects, or making it a volunteer-based rather than a compulsory subject. They argue that not everyone will use English extensively in their careers, and with advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, auto-interpretation is becoming much better and almost free. They question why the state should invest so much time, money, and resources in teaching English.

While whether to downgrade or cancel English as a subject is debatable, we must recognize that English is the current universal language, and China still has a long way to go in making Chinese the second or the first universal language. Thus, we need to eliminate barriers and create more accessible, real, and free outlets to support those who do not have the advantage of going to a native country, attending an international school, or having access to native tutors. These individuals should be able to learn English proficiently enough to use it as a universal language tool to become internationalized, reach out to the world, improve China's image as a nation, and as individuals. Political or ideological reasons should not be significant impediments to achieving this goal.