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Overall situation
English education has existed in China for a very long time. English has been studied in China since eighteenth century for political and economic reasons （Chang， 2006）. The status of English has experienced dramatic changes since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. During the Great Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976， the English was treated as a threat and the enemy’s language and the Chinese government was hostile to it. During this period， the Russian was the most important foreign language in education system for the alliance between China and Russia. Many English professors and talents were seen as political prisoners. However， this situation was totally transformed when China began to implement the reforming and opening policy from 1978. When china opened to the outside world and stepped into the trend of the world globalization， how to communicate with other countries became a problem. Under this national situation， the English was treated as an important resource for China’s developing. Therefore， Chinese government changed the English policy. It has become the most important foreign language in schools. For this great encouragement and the market demand， the English education kept prevailing until now. As a result， English as the first preferred language in China tremendously benefits the economic development and the successful interaction with the outside world. On the whole， the English education quality d has been great improved since 1978 in China； however， the specific condition is complex and unbalanced today. China has fifty-five minority groups and one majority group Han. The English education quality of the majority group Han is much higher than the minority groups. This inequality shapes for many reasons and the Chinese government has been working on this issue for decades. To narrow the gap between majority group and the minority groups is a long-term task.
Factors for the inequality
This inequality of English education has been a problem for decades. As China is such a geographically big country with the greatest population in the world， it is pretty hard to achieve a balance between majority group and minority groups. The inequality demonstrates itself in various dimensions and is generated by many reasons. Firstly， the role of English in minority groups is different from that in majority group. The English is the second language for ethnic Han， but it is the third or fourth language for many minority groups. In the majority group’s curriculum， most subjects are taught in Mandarin and the English is taught in both Mandarin and English. From my own experience， even through I’m from the Han majority group， it is still hard for me to learn English. Because I had at least 7 subjects for every semester since middle school， I didn’t have enough time to learn English in detail. I just regarded it as math or physics， doing numerous English exercises and taking note from blackboard. It is such a busy time for all students from majority group in middle and high school. However， the situation is not the same in minority groups. On one hand， most minority groups have their own languages. They speak it in daily life and also learn it in school. On the other hand， Mandarin is the official language. What’s more， the government wants to make the 56 ethnicities as one unity and one family， the minority groups are encouraged to learn Mandarin as a second language. As a consequence， the English becomes the third or even the fourth language for minority groups. In the mainland of China， most schools in minority areas vigorously advocate the Mandarin. In China， For most minority groups， Holmes （2008） argues that when there are no indentify physical features to distinguish them from others， the languages is one important remaining symbol of ethnicity. To maintain minority language， culture and identity， the Chinese Ministry of Education defines that the indigenous minority home language is the first language in school and the mandarin Chinese is the second language .At last， the English is the third language for minority groups. However the actual situation is not like this. Actually， the mandarin Chinese becomes the first language in school because of its greater use in society and the assimilation. Therefore， the English learning is harder for them. Secondly， the striking economic unbalance between majority group and minority groups is another significant factor. China’s minority groups with more than 100，000，000 people reside in five autonomous regions and many other provinces （Ruan
English education has existed in China for a very long time. English has been studied in China since eighteenth century for political and economic reasons （Chang， 2006）. The status of English has experienced dramatic changes since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. During the Great Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976， the English was treated as a threat and the enemy’s language and the Chinese government was hostile to it. During this period， the Russian was the most important foreign language in education system for the alliance between China and Russia. Many English professors and talents were seen as political prisoners. However， this situation was totally transformed when China began to implement the reforming and opening policy from 1978. When china opened to the outside world and stepped into the trend of the world globalization， how to communicate with other countries became a problem. Under this national situation， the English was treated as an important resource for China’s developing. Therefore， Chinese government changed the English policy. It has become the most important foreign language in schools. For this great encouragement and the market demand， the English education kept prevailing until now. As a result， English as the first preferred language in China tremendously benefits the economic development and the successful interaction with the outside world. On the whole， the English education quality d has been great improved since 1978 in China； however， the specific condition is complex and unbalanced today. China has fifty-five minority groups and one majority group Han. The English education quality of the majority group Han is much higher than the minority groups. This inequality shapes for many reasons and the Chinese government has been working on this issue for decades. To narrow the gap between majority group and the minority groups is a long-term task.
Factors for the inequality
This inequality of English education has been a problem for decades. As China is such a geographically big country with the greatest population in the world， it is pretty hard to achieve a balance between majority group and minority groups. The inequality demonstrates itself in various dimensions and is generated by many reasons. Firstly， the role of English in minority groups is different from that in majority group. The English is the second language for ethnic Han， but it is the third or fourth language for many minority groups. In the majority group’s curriculum， most subjects are taught in Mandarin and the English is taught in both Mandarin and English. From my own experience， even through I’m from the Han majority group， it is still hard for me to learn English. Because I had at least 7 subjects for every semester since middle school， I didn’t have enough time to learn English in detail. I just regarded it as math or physics， doing numerous English exercises and taking note from blackboard. It is such a busy time for all students from majority group in middle and high school. However， the situation is not the same in minority groups. On one hand， most minority groups have their own languages. They speak it in daily life and also learn it in school. On the other hand， Mandarin is the official language. What’s more， the government wants to make the 56 ethnicities as one unity and one family， the minority groups are encouraged to learn Mandarin as a second language. As a consequence， the English becomes the third or even the fourth language for minority groups. In the mainland of China， most schools in minority areas vigorously advocate the Mandarin. In China， For most minority groups， Holmes （2008） argues that when there are no indentify physical features to distinguish them from others， the languages is one important remaining symbol of ethnicity. To maintain minority language， culture and identity， the Chinese Ministry of Education defines that the indigenous minority home language is the first language in school and the mandarin Chinese is the second language .At last， the English is the third language for minority groups. However the actual situation is not like this. Actually， the mandarin Chinese becomes the first language in school because of its greater use in society and the assimilation. Therefore， the English learning is harder for them. Secondly， the striking economic unbalance between majority group and minority groups is another significant factor. China’s minority groups with more than 100，000，000 people reside in five autonomous regions and many other provinces （Ruan