ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a historical account of English language policies in Mainland China from the time when the language was first taught in the late Qing Dynasty to the present day, when the language is entrenched as the dominant foreign language in Mainland China’s education system. English language teaching in China has been closely intertwined with her political, ideological, socioeconomic, and cultural upheavals, reflecting and responding to the vicissitudes of national fortunes and successive national agendas “to acquire Western knowledge to withstand foreign aggression. The twists and turns of English language policy have reflected changes in foreign relations, needs of national survival and development and a quest for modernisation in the last 180 years. The cultural revolution disrupted China’s economic and educational development and led to a whole decade of chaos and isolation. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
