The globalisation of the English language: Reflections on the teaching of English in China

Using data collection from schools and government documents, the paper discusses the switch from the teaching of Russian to that of English, presents a picture of English teaching in China at present, and predicts some of the changes in the teaching of English in the future in this country. The paper focuses on the following issues: a) Why has China chosen English as the foreign language most widely taught in schools? b) What is the influence of globalisation of the English language in China? c) Why is the teaching of English important to China? The paper consists of three parts: Stages of foreign language teaching since 1949; The situation of English teaching in China; Looking at English teaching from a cultural perspective. globalisation, English teaching, College English, international language, cultural perspectiv