The purpose of this descriptive qualitative study is to explore English reading instruction in elementary schools in China under the revised curriculum in 2001. Eleven English teachers in three elementary schools in Beijing participated in this study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, field observations, and documents. The study reports seven aspects of knowledge that beginning English reading instruction in these schools has covered, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, and cultural knowledge, as well as the instructional activities provided by these teachers.