This image is the cover for the book Teaching in Fuzhou, China

Teaching in Fuzhou, China

English is the world’s international language. Consequently, many speakers of other languages have taken great pains to make English their second language, mainly for practical reasons rather than for love of the language itself. Practical reasons include travel, business, academic intercourse and inter-governmental communication. China recognises this need and, in consequence, the author spent more than ten years in China, finding the experience interesting, enlightening and exciting, albeit at times frustrating. It was a wonderful time. In the author’s view, it is essential that the world comes to know and understand this huge empire. This book is full of observations from within the country, which should help in presenting China, its people, customs, educational systems and way of life, its contradictions and its attractions as well as its darker side. Most importantly, it gives some insight into how the people think – and this is important. Hopefully readers learn something while enjoying the experience.

Greg McEnnally

Greg McEnnally was trained as a Maths and Science teacher, working in Australia and Papua New Guinea. In order to fill the need for English teachers he completed his TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and taught in Indonesia. From here he went to China in 2002 to teach English initially in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, then later in Tongren, Guizhou Province and Chongqing. This book is concerned with the 4 ½ years he spent teaching in Fuzhou. This is not a travel book, but an account of life in this city during that time – the people, lifestyle, culture and some ideas on education.

Austin Macauley Publishers