Recent Important Developments in Secondary English-language Teaching in the People's Republic of China

This paper reports on reforms in English-language teaching (ELT) in the People's Republic of China (PRC) since the mid-1980s. It begins with a brief review of ELT during the Cultural Revolution and in the immediate following years to provide a background against which more recent developments can be examined. It then examines recent important developments in curriculum policy, syllabus design, textbook production, examinations, and research that are producing, and will continue to exert, profound influences on ELT in the PRC. These developments are discussed not only at the national level but also with specific reference to Shanghai, which has been in the forefront of ELT reforms in the country. Also discussed are a number of issues arising from the reforms that include the demands of content-based English instruction (CBEI), teaching about target language culture, teacher training, and lack of solid empirical research.