Shortly after the Cultural Revolution – a political movement of
ideological extremism started by Mao Zedong – came to an end
with his death in 1976, the new Chinese leadership headed by
Deng Xiaoping launched a national modernization program.
English language education figured prominently in the drive for
modernization (Adamson & Morris, 1997). Deng was convinced
that advanced science and technology held the key to China’s
modernization and that China would need to access scientific and
technological advances worldwide to develop the scientific knowledge
base needed for national revitalization (People’s Education
Press, 1986). Access to international know-how was, however, seen
as being predicated on the availability of a large pool of personnel
proficient in English, the international medium of scientific and
technological information. T