Innovative Ways of Teaching English in Chinese Universities under the Concept of Cross-Cultural Communication

. In the current context of increasingly frequent international cooperation and communication in Chinese major industries, the demand for Cross-Cultural Communication talents is increasing. English teaching in universities is responsible for transmitting language knowledge and developing students' language skills, and it is urgent to reform the teaching mechanism of English in Chinese universities under the concept of Cross-Cultural Communication. In this paper, we focus on the significance of the innovation of English teaching in universities in the field of Cross-Cultural Communication, and propose countermeasures for the technological upgrading of English teaching in universities from different perspectives in the face of the new goal about improving the quality of language education in Chinese universities, in order to facilitate reference for subsequent English teaching practitioners in China.


"Cross-Cultural
Communication" refers to the communication between native speakers and non-native speakers, including people of all different languages and cultures [1]. Due to the different geographical locations and religious beliefs of different ethnic groups, people have different habits, customs and cultural backgrounds in different environments. In communication, people often prefer to use their own way of thinking to understand each other's language, which can easily lead to misunderstandings and thus make communication unsuccessful or ineffective [2]. As English is the first common language in the current globalisation context, the development of students' Cross-Cultural Communication skills when teaching English as a language will become an inevitable choice for teaching innovation.
At this stage, most Chinese universities have recognised the importance of cultural transmission, but there are still difficulties in the integration of linguistics with Chinese and Western cultures in the English classroom. In the face of the new talent training needs of the Chinese region, English teaching in universities should focus on cultivating students' cross-cultural awareness, infiltrating cultural knowledge in teaching, strengthening students' understanding of western cultures, helping them to express and communicate in language, and realising the improvement of students' English knowledge and skills.

Help Students Appreciate the Essence of Language Learning and Strengthen Their Understanding of English Culture
The core of English learning in higher education is the process of making students understand cultures other than their mother tongue. Enhancing the reference to crosscultural theoretical content in English teaching in higher education mainly means guiding students to discuss cultural meanings in depth and to communicate effectively in language in specific contexts [3]. Through the development of students' Cross-Cultural Communication skills, students become more proactive in understanding foreign cultures and take Cross-Cultural Communication skills as an important component of competence; enabling them to improve their overall English learning. In the language learning process, language and culture are mutually reinforcing, and language is an important vehicle for cultural transmission [4]. Language teaching therefore requires teachers to speak about foreign cultures; Using students' storage of cultural knowledge in the region to promote students' in-depth study of language. It is clear that the development of Cross-Cultural Communication skills can help students to gain a comprehensive understanding of the conventions of English language expression and thus to better understand and apply English words, English phrases and English grammar. In addition, the development of students' cross-cultural awareness in the English classroom enables them to understand the ways of thinking of Western languages from different perspectives and to master their unique expressions [5]. The learning of different cultures will, on the one hand, enable students to pay more attention to the cultural connotations behind the English language, to understand the historical and cultural formation of different countries and to develop good thinking skills and cultural awareness [6]. On the other hand, the study and understanding of Western culture can deepen students' awareness of cultural transmission and their understanding of culture as a crystallisation of wisdom formed during the development of a country, which has profound significance for a nation.

Contribute to the Development of Cross-Cultural Communication Talents to Serve the Society
In the current context of increasing social and economic globalisation, universities, as the main venue for the cultivation of high-quality talents, need to cultivate more talents with Cross-Cultural Communication skills. At the present stage, the teaching of English in colleges and universities involves cross-cultural content in two main areas, namely the teaching of language knowledge and the transmission of culture [7]. This requires teachers to integrate culture into language teaching, and through the interplay of the two, to achieve the goal of educating students. However, in Chinese English classrooms, most teachers are influenced by the pressure of teaching and learning to emphasise language over culture. Currently, Chinese teachers generally emphasise the need to improve students' language skills through language training, while neglecting the culture behind the language, resulting in monotonous English teaching. In some cases, there is even a 'Cultural Aphasia' phenomenon in English classes in higher education due to a lack of information about the key Western cultural information behind English, with students not understanding the origins and history of English words, but simply the spelling of words [8].
In response to such problems in teaching practice, the reconfigured English classroom, based on the concept of Cross-Cultural Communication, can play a positive role in the development of human resources in various industries [9]. Whatever the form of development of the country or industry, there is a need for Cross-Cultural Communication personnel to serve the job. In the face of this demand, universities should take the initiative to understand the current situation of talent development and require English teaching to follow the development trend of the times, not only to make in-depth innovation and adjustment, but also to integrate diversified teaching resources in classroom teaching around the cultivation objectives of Cross-Cultural Communication, to plan the cultivation of talents, and to strengthen the Cross-Cultural Communication ability of students in universities in a comprehensive manner. The aim is to strengthen students' ability in Cross-Cultural Communication.

Outdated Concepts of Teaching & Learning within the English Classroom in Chinese Universities
Under the concept of Cross-Cultural Communication, it provides a guarantee for the innovation of English teaching mechanism in colleges and universities, and realises the optimisation of teaching methods and concepts. However, from the current situation of English teaching mechanism practice in Chinese universities, some teachers still have the problem of old-fashioned teaching concepts, which affects both the innovation of English teaching and the cultivation of students' comprehensive English ability. For example, some teachers fail to recognise the importance of the development of students' Cross-Cultural Communication skills, and in the actual implementation of teaching activities, the integration of international thinking and Chinese localised ideas is insufficient, which seriously affects the growth of students' Cross-Cultural Communication skills [10]. At the same time, some teachers adopt traditional Chinese educational concepts and mechanically copy and recite, thus preventing students from improving their English learning skills [11]. For example, a large number of teachers who teach English at the university level still insist on mastering English words and grammar by memorising information in the classroom, and in this context, students' English thinking skills are not sufficiently developed and their language skills begin to deteriorate instead of improving [12].

Limitations of Current English Classroom Content in Chinese Universities
Under the concept of 'Quality Education', the idea of 'Humanistic Education' has been put forward to show the direction for the innovation of English teaching mechanism in Chinese universities. English teaching in colleges and universities should incorporate the concept of humanism, explore the humanistic messages in English books and transmit them to students together with English materials through the classroom teaching path, so as to cultivate humanistic moral literacy in English subjects. At the same time, the integration of humanistic information in Cross-Cultural Communication, especially the integration and exploitation of information on localisation and British and American culture, can help to develop students' Cross-Cultural Communication skills [13]. However, from the perspective of the current innovation of English teaching mechanism in colleges and universities, there is a problem of limited implementation of teaching contents. Some teachers are more concerned with the integration of information from book materials, and the integration of cultural information is based on British and American culture, but seldom integrates local cultural information, which affects the comprehensive development of students and is not conducive to students becoming application-oriented talents [14].

The Principle of Humanistic Innovation
It is necessary to implement the concept of 'Quality Education' and to follow the principles of humanistic innovation in the teaching mechanism of English in higher education. In this way, students can acquire English language information and improve their Cross-Cultural Communication skills. For example, in accordance with the actual development of the market, international thinking is incorporated, and in this way a variety of Cross-Cultural Communication activities are carried out for students, who are integrated into them and practice English language, thus improving their overall English language skills. In short, in the innovation of teaching mechanisms in universities, Cross-Cultural Communication thinking should be used as a guide to develop and design English teaching activities according to students' needs, so as to cultivate students' core English literacy.

The Principle of Cultural Innovation
The integration of cultural information into the teaching mechanism of English in colleges and universities is necessary to develop students' ability of Cross-Cultural Communication through the integration of cultural information, so that students can use information in English and export English language information on the basis of understanding culture, and continuously enhance their language skills, as well as understand more about the differences between Chinese and Western cultures. In this way, students will be able to understand the differences between Chinese and Western cultures.

The Principle of Interactive Innovation
As a language subject, English has its own unique educational rules, and interactivity is integrated into them to assist students in good language learning. The interaction develops students' thinking, enables them to acquire language knowledge, interacts with each other on the basis of cultural awareness and realises language output patterns, thus continuously improving students' oral communication skills across cultures [15]. Based on this, Cross-Cultural Communication thinking is integrated in the innovation of English teaching mechanisms in universities, following the principle of interactive innovation, so as to continuously improve the results of English teaching practice.

The Principle of Networked Innovation
Information technology in education has become a major trend in the innovation of English teaching mechanisms in universities, and also provides a guarantee for the extension of English teaching vehicles, so that students can acquire English information and practice English language in the university classroom, as well as on the Internet platform, thus continuously improving their independent learning ability in English [16]. For example, an English language resource bank can be built on the Internet, containing information from university English textbooks, English cultural resources and local cultural resources, so that the information is illustrated and easy for students to learn and master. At the same time, virtual technology is used to build an online language communication platform to create a language communication space with culture, so that students can export English language information with the aid of culture, thus developing core English literacy among university students.

Reconstructing English Teaching Modules Using Modular Teaching Theory and Methods
Cross-Cultural Communication is a project that uses modular teaching theories and methods to reconstruct English teaching modules in colleges and universities, which can realize the close connection between theoretical and practical teaching of English in colleges and universities, so as to effectively cultivate and improve students' Cross-Cultural Communication skills [17]. This will enable students to effectively develop and improve their Cross-Cultural communication skills. Firstly, through the design of the Cross-Cultural Communication knowledge module, the content system of English teaching in colleges and universities can be enriched to provide Cross-Cultural Communication support for the innovation of English teaching mechanism and effectively resolve the serious cultural misunderstandings arising from language differences [18]. In this process, English teachers can use a combination of online video viewing and classroom teaching to complete the transfer of Cross-Cultural Communication knowledge and enrich the students' cross-cultural knowledge reserves [19]. This is why English teachers need to guide their students to use advanced online information technology to search for knowledge about Cross-Cultural Communication on platforms such as the China University MOOC, and to conduct independent learning. Teachers can also develop and build their own online English cross-cultural knowledge resources and regularly upload relevant knowledge content and teaching videos for students to carry out independent and selective learning to meet their diverse learning needs. The development and setting of teaching resources requires English teachers to follow the principle of progressive teaching from easy to difficult, and to pay attention to systematic and scientific principles, highlighting the difficult points in teaching while ensuring that the teaching content is set in accordance with students' learning ability. In addition to guiding students to carry out independent learning through the Internet, students should also be instructed to consciously undertake extra-curricular reading based on the learning syllabus designed by the teacher, read more books on Western culture and watch Western cultural films, in order to better enrich their knowledge of Cross-Cultural Communication. In addition, Cross-Cultural Communication awareness modules can be designed to help students develop and improve their sensitivity to cultural differences, so that they can subconsciously translate the correct language content with reference to the target context and culture when using English, and further improve their own linguistic understanding and output [20]. In this process, teachers of English in higher education need to guide students to use their knowledge of Cross-Cultural Communication to selfperceive the impact of cultural differences on the social communication. They can also use cultural activities and online & offline practical case studies, and guide students to work in learning groups on cultural differences and contradictions, so that they can experience the differences in cross-cultural knowledge in the process of independent research.

Innovative English Teaching Models Using Blended Teaching Methods
Firstly, teachers of English in universities can try to introduce case study teaching method, situational teaching method, practical teaching method, task-driven teaching method and inquiry-based teaching method, combine the English teaching content with the objectives of Cross-Cultural Communication training, propose corresponding learning tasks for different students' individual differences, and guide students to explore the path of Cross-Cultural Communication improvement through cooperative group learning. Secondly, modern teaching technologies should be used in the innovation of the English curriculum, such as Microlecture, MOOC and other advanced online teaching platforms, to give full play to their rich teaching resources and further expand the content and materials of the English curriculum. It can also help English teachers to realise a tiered approach to teaching, which allows them to analyse and integrate difficult knowledge and use these valuable resources to teach students through new media and multimedia, combined with online & offline hybrid teaching methods, which can not only effectively increase students' interest in learning and motivate them to participate, but also further improve the effectiveness of teaching English in universities [21]. It is also an effective way to enhance the teaching and learning of English in higher education and to support the development of Cross-Cultural Communication skills. In addition, English teachers should actively establish a second classroom, give full play to the role and advantages of practical teaching, and organise a variety of practical activities in Cross-Cultural Communication, such as English speech competitions, English exchange students, Cross-Cultural Communication activities, etc. Communication activities, etc. The programme can also introduce some foreign teachers to deepen students' English learning experience by combining online & offline teaching, so that students can learn about the purpose and culture of the programme and improve their Cross-Cultural Communication skills through communication and exchange with foreign teachers.

Upgrading the Cross-Cultural English Teacher Structure
In the context of Cross-Cultural Communication, to upgrade the Cross-Cultural English teacher structure and enhance students' awareness of Cross-Cultural Communication, we can first of all build a perfect recruitment, selection and hiring system for English in colleges and universities, and introduce a group of professional teachers with experience of living abroad. This will not only inject fresh blood into the existing English teaching team, but also enhance the cross-cultural awareness of English teachers in colleges and universities and raise the importance of cultivating students' Cross-Cultural Communication skills. Secondly, we should also strengthen the training of existing English teachers and actively carry out training activities that are conducive to enhancing their awareness of Cross-Cultural Communication, such as guiding existing English teachers to regularly participate in teaching research, practical training and visits to overseas academic institutions or enterprises with which the university cooperates, so as to help English teachers to develop a good understanding of Cross-Cultural Communication and provide effective support to enhance students' awareness of Cross-Cultural Communication. In addition, a group of outstanding foreign English education experts and educational scholars can be regularly introduced to the school to organise academic seminars, academic competition or conferences, etc. Through such activities, English teachers can enhance their communication with foreign education experts and scholars and strengthen teachers' awareness of Cross-Cultural Communication.

Conclusion
All in all, the globalisation of the economy has led to the demand for Cross-Cultural Communication professionals in all industries. In terms of language expression skills, students need to be more proactive in understanding the cultural knowledge behind the language in the process of knowledge application, and to complete more accurate expression of the language. In terms of cultural communication, it is important to maintain a strong initiative to transmit culture through the communication of language. For this reason, universities must pay attention to the innovation of the English teaching mechanism under Cross-Cultural Communication. Educators should make adjustments to teaching ideas and content in order to complete the transmission of language knowledge and help students understand more foreign cultures, so as to achieve the synergy between the teaching effect and the learning effect.