This Day, That Year

ItemfromDec13,1984,in ChinaDaily:An“EnglishCorner”hasbeensetupinBeijing forthosewhowanttopractice spokenEnglish.

Thecenter,sponsoredby theInstituteofForeign Affairs,isaplaceforEnglish learnerstolistentospeeches andjoindiscussionwithstudentsandteachersfromthe institute....

The phrase English Corner refers to an informal study area for English, where Chinese and foreign instructors hold sessions for aspiring students.

The emphasis is on improving the oral English skills of the participants.

As more Chinese parents look for ways to give their children a head start in school, a new market for preschool English instruction is emerging.

A recent report predicted that the next few years could be the “golden age” for the development of such a market in China, which is expected to grow at an annual rate of more than 20 percent.

The report, In-depth Research and Development Forecast of China’s Children English Training Market, 2013-2017, noted that there were about 180 million children under the age of 8 and more than 20 million babies are born annually.

Kids Read, an international reading for pleasure project, kicked off in Beijing two months ago, marking the first time that it has been rolled out in China. The project is expected to boost Chinese students’ motivation in learning English.

It will reach more than 1,400 students of six underprivileged primary schools in the capital. Each of the six schools will receive a mini library of around 200 books.