'A high passion for English'

The English-speaking population in Beijing will reach 6 million by the end of this year, an increase of 35 percent over the past five years, said a senior official with the foreign affairs office of the Beijing government.

"Citizens in Beijing have a high passion for learning English. Knowing the ABCs is common here. As a citizen of such a big international city, many people feel that speaking English is a basic skill," said Zhao Huimin, director general of the foreign affairs office, yesterday.

More than 700 community foreign language training centers are in Beijing. Beijing also has 433 community foreign language corners, which are informal groups whose members meet to speak English together. Also, the city has thousands of volunteers to promote English learning, Zhao told METRO.