The Development and Enlightenment of Foreign Language Education Policy of Early 16 Years After the Founding of the People's Republic of China

Abstract

Since the founding of China in 1949, policies in foreign languages have undergone earth-shaking changes, as well as continuous innovation and development. Until the  Cultural Revolution happened in 1966, foreign language education suffered a lot of trauma, and foreign language education policy also stopped. Based on the previous studies of foreign language education policies in this period, this paper expounds on the development and changes in foreign language education policies in the past 16 years through the historical context. It found that people also play an enlightening role in the formulation of foreign language education policies in terms of politics, compulsory education and the international environment. The change and improvement of foreign language education policy during this period can be divided into two stages: the period of 1949-1957 when Russian was the main language, supplemented by English, and the period of 1958-1965 when English was the main language, and the period of Russian development. People can have a clearer understanding of the changes in education in foreign language policies.