100% of English corners are held outdoors, such as parks, squares and campuses. And most of the participants are students.
history
The earliest English corner appeared in Shanghai People's Park at the beginning of 1978. Due to historical reasons, young people in China just got the opportunity to learn English and open their eyes to the world. However, in Shanghai from 1978, the tallest building is the International Hotel in front of People's Park (up to 1992), and foreigners and people who come to Shanghai in the hotel will travel according to tourism. Because there were few English further education schools in Shanghai at that time, let alone foreigners practicing foreign languages, the English corner in People's Park developed rapidly. At the peak, there was 1992, and the number of participants was basically 2,300. A large number of English corners began to appear all over the country.
But after 1992, the English corner began to shrink. For example, the English corner in People's Park used to be a whole day on Sunday, but now there are basically no people in the morning, and people don't gather until two o'clock in the afternoon.
The reason for the shrinkage is that there are a large number of foreign language training institutions in society, many of which have foreign teachers, and the social income gap has begun to widen. Some people go to these foreign language training institutions, and some even choose to practice their English in bars frequented by foreigners. The reason can be summarized as follows: people's choices have increased, which has dispersed the flow of people in the English corner. In 2008, a news agency even made a special report on "China's economic development from the change of English corner". This paper defines English Corner as the product of China's poverty era, and attributes its decline to the rapid development of China.
With the development of economy and the increase of work pressure, the demand for white-collar workers to socialize is gradually greater than the demand for English. Therefore, in big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, white-collar social gatherings held indoors under the pretext of English have become popular. This kind of party is usually called an English salon or an English party.
Historically, English Corner has really played a great role in improving the English level of teenagers in China, and its shrinking is indeed a sign of progress. However, for English lovers in their student days, the English corner is very meaningful as a place to practice oral English.
Advantages of English corner
1. Nature. English corner is usually held at night, and night is the best fig leaf. During the day, every look, every expression, and the embarrassment when you accidentally say the wrong thing will be clearly seen by the other party, but at night, you are not so worried. It is easier to "talk". Someone once said that "the night gives me courage" is the truth. 2. Relax. Compared with the classroom, the atmosphere is more relaxed. Many students are unwilling to take the initiative to answer questions in class because they are afraid of making mistakes. They think it is a shame to make mistakes in front of teachers and familiar classmates, but in the English corner, this worry has also faded a lot. Without teachers, many students can play better and have no psychological pressure. 3. Interaction. They are all learners, with the same mentality and closer distance. People who go to the English corner to improve their English, especially their spoken English, are also like-minded. Therefore, when you say something wrong or can't express something correctly at the moment, the other party will often show understanding, try their best to help, and even say a few words of comfort. 4. Self-confidence. For the above reasons, some people who are usually very introverted can often summon up courage and take a difficult first step after going to the English corner a few times more. After my first experience, I found it not difficult to talk to strangers. After going to the English corner more often, many students will become more and more "cheeky", and the "face problem" will gradually fade away, and even learn some skills to break the deadlock. Slowly, these people will not be satisfied with just showing themselves in the English corner. Therefore, it is not difficult to imagine that these students will be more active in class and have more courage when they meet foreign guests in need in the street.
Below the famous English corner are some famous English corners:
zhuhai municipality
English corner of American TPR English School: 2nd floor of TPR headquarters building, 3: 00-5: 00 pm on Sunday.
Shanghai
East China Normal University English Corner
Fourth floor, Shanghai Pudong New Area Library: 9: 00 am-12: 30 am every Saturday.
Foreign Language Corner of Luxun Park: 9: 00 am-12: 00 am on Sunday. Many people speak Japanese, but few speak English.
English corner of People's Park: 9: 00 am-17: 00 am on Sunday. Features: There are always several foreigners in the oldest English corner.
Huaihai Park: Sunday morning 10: 00- 12: 00.
Hangzhou (city)
Zhejiang University English Corner: Third, the light of Xixi century; Yuquan ershiliu
Six Park English Corner: The foreign language bookstore is diagonally opposite (backed by the foreign language bookstore, facing the West Lake, diagonally opposite to the left).
Hangzhou Library: Every Saturday morning 10: 00, the English corner is flat and wide, and pure English is spoken.
English corner of Hangzhou Foreign Language Bookstore: Fengqi Road Foreign Language Bookstore, English corner at 6: 30 every Saturday night. There are many peaceful foreign teachers every time.
In the corridor by the West Lake (the original site is under one or two big trees on the left).
English corner of Wulin Square: The west of Wulin Square is near Hangzhou Theatre.
English corner of Children's Palace: Get off at the entrance of Children's Palace.
Huajiachi English corner: the lawn in front of the canteen, at 9 o'clock every Wednesday night.
Tianjin
Heping Innovation Building in Heping District: There is a free English corner for foreign teachers on the floor of 1 1 every Wednesday night from 6: 30 to 8: 00.
Ningbo
Top of Ginta Department Store: Every Saturday at 6 pm.
Yiwu city
Yiwu citizen square
Wenzhou city
Chinatown Bar: Saturday and Sunday
Chengdu
Binjiang road English Corner: Jinjiang Bridge, next to Jinjiang Hotel, Tuesday and Friday at 7 pm.
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China: West Garden in front of the main building, Monday and Wednesday night.
American consulate English corner
English corner of Sichuan University: Every Friday at 7 pm, in front of the East District Gymnasium.
English corner of Southwest Jiaotong University: Jinghu Lawn
Nanjing
Gulou English corner: Saturday night at 7 o'clock.
English corner of Southeast University: next to the auditorium, every Thursday night at 7: 00.
English corner of Nanjing University: Every Sunday night at 7:30, University Student Activity Center.
English corner of Pukou campus of Nanjing University: every Sunday at 6: 30, between the corridors of Zone 3 and Zone/kloc-0, next to the multimedia reading room above the electronic reading room (fourth floor).
Guangzhou City
English corner of South China Normal University: Every Friday, opposite the Taoliyuan Ballroom.
Cultural Square English Corner
Kunming city
Cuihu English corner
Yunnan university foreign languages plaza
Changsha city
English corner of Central South University: Wednesday night, the top floor of the teaching building.
English corner of Hunan University: From Monday to Thursday, I will go back to my dormitory.
English corner of Hunan Normal University: From Monday to Thursday, Houping, the most famous school in Hunan.
Wuhan (city)
English corner of Huazhong Normal University: Every Thursday and Friday night, in front of Boya Square, which is the No.9 teaching building, the crowd is mainly students and social people, and sometimes foreigners can be seen. It is the most popular and well-known English corner in Wuhan universities.
Wu Da English Corner: 3 nights a week.
Wuhan New Oriental: Every Friday, at 6:40, classes start on the first floor of Wuhan New Oriental (200 meters next to the Asian Trade Plaza).
English corner of Huazhong University of Science and Technology: Every Wednesday night, in front of the library.
city of Dalian
Athena Foreign Languages School, 6th Floor, Parkson, Olympic Plaza
Zhongshan Square: 65438+ 0-5 pm on Sunday.
English corner of Dalian University of Technology: Every Saturday at 6 pm.
The "refuge hall" next to Carrefour
CEC English Corner is held at 1 every Saturday afternoon.
Shijiazhuang city
The foreign language bookstore is around 4 pm every Saturday.
West Campus of Normal University at 7: 00 every Thursday night.
The middle school campus of Normal University is at seven o'clock every Saturday night.
The University of Science and Technology is at seven o'clock every Friday night.
Hefei city
English corner of Anhui Agricultural University: Island in the middle of the lake, under the guidance of foreign teachers, every Tuesday night 18:30-2 1:30.
English corner of Hefei United University: Hefei United Auditorium on Huangshan Road, with the guidance of foreign teachers, every Wednesday night from 8: 00 to 20: 00.
Anhui University English Corner: Friday night 19:00-23:00.
He Gong University: Every Saturday night.
Hefei University of Economics and Technology: Saturday night 19:00-22:00 Meiling Avenue
HKUST English Corner: China University of Science and Technology East Campus, 19:00-22:00 every Saturday night.
Daoxiang Building: 8: 30 am-12: 00 am every Sunday.
Urumqi
English corner of Xinjiang University of Technology: Every Thursday.
Xi'an
The English corner of Northwestern Polytechnical University is Dongfanghong Square every Wednesday night.
The English corner of Northwest University is in front of the library every Thursday night.
The English corner of Xi Jiaotong University is on the east lawn of the May 4th Memorial Tower every Wednesday night.
Nanchang city
English corner of Bayi Park
Red Square of Jiangxi Normal University
Behind the teaching building in the north campus of Nanchang University
Jinan city
Black Tiger Spring every Sunday morning.
Xiamen city
Paris Spring English Corner
Time: Saturday night 7:30-9:00.
Address: Water Central Teahouse in Huli Park, Huli District