1 Introduction

Explored the development history, current situation, and challenges of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) in China. Since the reform and opening up in the 1980s, Chinese universities have begun to explore ESP teaching to meet the demand for professional English talents in society. However, there is still controversy over the understanding and practice of ESP, and it is necessary to deeply consider its relationship with language, language teaching, and language education. The ESP teaching in Chinese universities should be combined with national conditions, talent cultivation goals, and social needs, and cannot simply copy foreign models. At the same time, it is necessary to evaluate whether ESP teaching can achieve the cultivation goals of cross-cultural communication, self-directed learning, and critical thinking ability proposed in the "Guidelines for College English Teaching", as well as its impact on the cultivation of foreign language talents.

2. Discuss the problem

In depth exploration of the issues and challenges of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) teaching in higher education in China. Firstly, the author points out that the current ESP teaching focuses too much on language skills and neglects the importance of content teaching. ESP is closely related to specific domain knowledge, and teaching should be combined with professional knowledge to meet students' needs for new knowledge. Secondly, the chapter emphasizes that ESP teaching should go beyond language teaching and focus on cultivating students' communication skills, self-learning abilities, and critical thinking abilities, in order to achieve the ability development goals set in the "Guidelines for College English Teaching". Finally, the author proposes that ESP teaching should be integrated into ideological and political education to promote students' comprehensive development. The article proposes the concept of "English for Specific Purposes Education" (EESP), emphasizing its seven fundamental characteristics, including meeting students' special needs, being relevant to specific disciplines and professions, adapting to language use in specific situations, distinguishing from general English teaching, focusing on knowledge content teaching, cultivating other abilities, and ideological and political education. EESP is a practical form of content language integration education philosophy, aimed at conducting educational activities through ESP, not just teaching.

3 Conclusion

Clarifying the concept and characteristics of ESP education is crucial for Chinese students, teachers, and education, as it helps to enhance students' abilities and improve their knowledge system. It promotes the professional growth of teachers, enabling them to become experts in specific fields and driving the career development of university English teachers. In addition, it also breaks through the limitations of traditional ESP concepts and provides support for the construction of EESP theory and practice with Chinese characteristics, which is of great significance for curriculum construction, textbook development, teaching implementation and other aspects under the EESP concept.