English in China: An Analysis of the Market for the Knowledge of English from Experiential and Historical Perspectives

Abstract

International trade is one of the most important aspects of modem Economic study. At the forefront of that topic is the study of emerging markets, such as China, and how they cope in a modem world. For China especially, it is imperative that international trade and international relations work smoothly for them. English is the predominant language used in international relations, and so it is important to the Chinese economy. This project examines the role of English in China using experiential data from an internship I completed in December of 2008 and a study of English in China using an analysis of China's history with ·Economic methods. As could be expected, English in China is extremely important both economically and socially, and the periods of Gaige Kaifang, introduction of Special Economic Zones, and the Beijing Olympics were all complicit in increasing the quantities of English in China.