This paper examines intense emotions regarding China's English education in the past 30 years，since the beginning of the economic reforms. These emotions include: 1) euphoria or“craziness”associated with a dream of becoming rich and prosperous，typical of the 1980s and 1990s; 2) anxiety and frustration due to the disparity between expected and actual achievement，prominent after the mid-1990s; 3) fear and anger，related to perceived threat to the native language and cultural identity，foregrounded in the new millennium，typically in the on-going national reform of entrance exam policies. These conflicting feelings are embedded in discourses of language policy makers，educational institutions，and individual learners． Behind such changing moods is a psychological complex of the Chinese，i. e . ，the maintenance and development of Chinese cultural identity，and ambivalent attitudes towards the West． English education is like a screen，onto which are projected contradictory emotions. Such a psychological complex is deeply rooted in the sociohistorical reality of China since the Opium Wars． Yet it is also a result of self-perpetuation through discourse.In the contemporary context of globalization，this screen of projection can be changed to a mirror of reflection，which helps to self-examine our conflicting identity needs． Such selfawareness will free us from fluctuating“craziness”and lead to more dialogical and creative approaches to foreign and native language education.