English language training is becoming a profitable industry in China, as more Chinese become aware of the importance of the usefulness of an international language, according to Tuesday's China Youth Daily.
Statistics show that last year, the industry in Beijing made a gross profit of 700 million yuan(US$84.68 million) by providing English language training courses to nearly 200,000 people.
The oral English course of Beijing New Oriental Language School reported an income of over 90 million yuan(US$10.89 million) last year, while the Eastern English Services and Wall Street English schools all grew rapidly in the city at the same time.
Sources from the Eastern English Services say that it has set up four schools in Beijing. Each has brought in 500,000 yuan(US$60483.6) monthly, while the Wall Street English language schools charge trainees more than 20,000 yuan(US$2419.35) each for one term.
Shanghai is another of the country's hot spots for English training. The Wall Street Institute (WSI)invested 40 million yuan(US$4.84 million) to set up branches there and very quickly attracted more than 1,000 trainees, mostly from foreign companies.
The Beijing New Oriental School also began rapidly expanding. It extended its business to Shanghai over one year ago, and so far over 10,000 people have been through the school.
Zhongshan city, a major city in south China's Guangdong province has its sights set on parents' pockets. An international English training school there offers training to children aged from three to 12 years old. The cost of teaching materials for one person can reach up to a staggering 7,800 yuan(US$943.55).
Experts say that the thriving English language training market should be attributed to Chinese people's aspiration to speak English. With China's entry to the World Trade Organization, more Chinese are realizing that only with a good grasp of English, can it be possible to survive in today's more open China.
The Beijing Evening News reported that the craze for learning English even extends into temples. A nun from Lingquan Temple which is located in south China's Liuzhou city, recently attended an English language class.
The nun said that she often met foreigners visiting the temple and wanted to say hello to them but her poor English always embarrassed her.
"I hope I can speak fluent English someday so that I can freely communicate with foreigners and even introduce Buddhism to them", she was quoted as saying.
(Xinhua News Agency January 22, 2002)
