Sanitation workers learn English from a volunteer. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A "Learning English for All" activity recently took place at the learning center of Genglou sub-district, Jiande city, Hangzhou, with 30 sanitation workers, community residents, and children learning and reciting commonly-used English words under the guidance of volunteers.

Xu Yuejuan is a local sanitation worker. This was her first exposure to English, but she showed great interest in the classroom, repeatedly checking her pronunciation of new words with her teacher.

"I don't read many books, but speaking English makes me feel more international! The Hangzhou Asian Games are coming, and we need to better guarantee the success of the games," Xu said.

"We thought that learning English might be boring, but everyone has shown great enthusiasm, especially many sanitation workers, who found it interesting because they had no foundation at all," said a local official.

As of now, 10 sessions have been held, attracting over 400 participants.

In the coming months, the sub-district will continue to hold English classes in 14 cultural auditoriums in Jiande city, with both online and in-person courses on offer, enabling more volunteers and sanitation workers to master commonly-used English phrases and prepare for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Sanitation workers immerse themselves in the English class. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]