Because of its long-term closed policy, the Qing dynasty's interaction with European countries was very limited. However, in 1757, the Qianlong Emperor abolished the "four-port trade" policy and shifted the focus of trade to Guangzhou, a move that further limited external links. At the same time, Europe was in the Age of Discovery, accumulated abundant resources, and obtained a large amount of raw materials through colonial expansion and slavery. Britain pioneered the first industrial revolution, which dramatically increased productivity. In 1840, the Qing Dynasty was defeated by the British in the Opium War, forced to cede Hong Kong, and opened the "Five Ports of Commerce", including the five ports of Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai. Since then, China has become increasingly connected to the UK and English language learning has become more widespread.
At first, Chinese learning English was somewhat "passive", which was an inevitable result of the weakening of national strength. Today, however, China's national power is growing rapidly, with a GDP of about $14 trillion, the second largest in the world, five times that of the United Kingdom. Therefore, some have suggested that China should stop placing too much emphasis on English, and even consider reducing the proportion of English in primary and secondary education, or even eliminating English subjects in the college entrance examination. However, this thinking is very dangerous. At least at this stage, we still need to continue to learn English, and even need to strengthen English education, for three reasons.
First, manufacturing demand. Since the 18th century, the world has experienced three industrial revolutions. This included the British-led steam engine revolution, the American-European-led electrical revolution, and the American-led information revolution. All three industrial revolutions were heavily influenced by English-speaking countries. At one Korean company where I worked, the equipment, terminology, and standards used in the factory were in English rather than Korean or Chinese. Even if the Chinese displayed on the device, the programming behind it, including C++, PLC, Java, and PHP, is based in English. Perhaps there will be a widespread use of Chinese-based programming languages in the future, but this is unlikely to happen anytime soon. For manufacturing, programming is key, and giving up English is tantamount to giving up manufacturing. Part of the reason why China's manufacturing industry has been able to flourish is that after the reform and opening up, we promoted English education for all, embraced the technical and management standards of English-speaking countries, not just programming.
Secondly, foreign trade demand. For China, foreign trade is crucial. We need to produce more products and sell them to countries around the world to make a profit. According to 2019 statistics, China's total foreign trade was about 31.54 trillion yuan, accounting for about one-third of GDP that year. Foreign trade provides the country with a large amount of foreign exchange and tax revenue, while solving the employment problem of thousands of people. Therefore, we must strengthen our English learning to expand international friendships and attract more customers. Almost all countries have been promoting English education since the 20th century, and English has become the international lingua franca. It is difficult to change this situation in the short term.
Third, avoid social divisions. If primary and secondary schools deemphasize English education, or reduce the importance of English, English will not disappear. Wealthy families will pay to continue their English education in extracurricular training, while children in poor areas will have a hard time acquiring English skills if they don't learn English in school. However, after entering the society, we will find that many high-paying and key positions still require English, which is the demand of the market. As a result, children from affluent families who have English skills will have more opportunities. In addition, learning a foreign language is very beneficial for the intellectual development of children. Of all foreign languages, English is relatively simple and versatile, and should be the main subject in primary and secondary schools.
There is no doubt that Chinese, as our mother tongue, is the most beautiful and efficient language in the world. By strengthening the global promotion of Chinese, more foreigners can learn to Chinese, recognize Chinese characters, and one day, replace English as the global language. This is something we should strive for, but as things stand, English is still important.
As Wei Yuan, the leader of the Qing Dynasty's foreign affairs movement, said, "Master Yi has a long skill to suppress and destroy." Through learning English for all, our technology and manufacturing will become stronger. When we are strong enough, Chinese global standing will speak for itself.