This paper provides a snapshot of the manner in which English as a foreign language is taught in an elementary school in Helan County, China, in the nation's first decade of sweeping nation-wide educational reforms where English was first introduced as an official subject in 2001 and then as a compulsory subject in 2004. To cope with large classes and a challenging and new syllabus, with conflicting directives from the top on how to teach, the elementary school teacher, often poorly trained, has to resort to a number of management strategies, chief of which is the extensive use of the first language. It is argued that, despite assumptions and pronouncements in official policy and claims in the professional literature to the contrary, the use of two languages remains necessary and irreplaceable in the Chinese classroom. It is present in outlining procedures, providing supportive instructions throughout the lesson, motivational and disciplinary interventions, the assignment of homework and in the management of unfamiliar vocabulary. Such a scenario also raises questions about the suitability and practicality of the communicative approach in this context.