Teaching Literature in EFL Classrooms in China

This book explores educational reform in China through the author’s roles as a state-designated foreign expert, assistant professor, and senior editor. Based on fieldwork in urban and rural areas, it examines the integration of authentic literary materials into EFL instruction during a transformative period of curricular innovation.

The research spans diverse regional contexts—from capital city Beijing to semi-rural Zhaotong in the southwest and Zhuhai, a special economic zone in the southeastern coastal region—and compares key educational institutions at the university and secondary levels. Through transcript excerpts of recorded classroom conversations, focus group interviews, and surveys, it amplifies the voices of mainland Chinese EFL teachers and students. Teachers reflect on their approaches to teaching L1 literature and adapting it for EFL courses, while students engage with literary texts by a major Chinese American author, gaining awareness of cultural and generational gaps that shape their own lives. This rich ethnographic narrative provides empirical insights into progressive pedagogy within applied linguistics contexts.

This monograph is intended for researchers and practitioners in applied linguistics, TESOL, education, and Chinese studies, as well as lay readers interested in contemporary mainland Chinese classroom practices, particularly of literature.

Richard Sjoquist holds a PhD from the University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa. He was a public educator for 38 years at both the tertiary and secondary levels. For a decade, he taught applied linguistics, American literature, academic writing, analytical reading, and American pedagogy in China. During that time, he also co-authored EFL textbooks and authored graded readers as new series for senior middle school students.