This Day, That Year

Item from Sept 11, 1996, in China Daily: Li Yang, the originator of the "Li Yang-Crazy English" Institute, shows a group of high school students in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, how to speak English in a loud voice, an important concept in his popular "Crazy English" program.

English-language education has been booming in the past few decades, riding on China's opening-up and rapid development.

In most urban primary schools across the country, English classes start in the third grade or lower. College students are required to pass English exams before they graduate.