History of education in China facts for kids

Students in a classroom in Tieling High School

The history of education in China is a long and interesting story that started with the very beginning of Chinese civilization. For a long time, rich families often created schools just for their own children. A big change happened with the start of the imperial examinations. These were special tests that helped China choose government workers based on their skills, not just their family background. Being educated was also a sign of power, and educated people usually earned more money.

Early Schools: Shang and Zhou Dynasties

The very first mention of a "school" in China comes from ancient oracle bones from the Shang dynasty (around 1800–1050 B.C.E.). These bones were used for telling the future. People would write questions on them, put them in a fire, and then read the cracks. Some questions asked things like: "Is it good for the children to go to school?" or "Will it rain on their way home?" However, these bones don't tell us much about what these early schools were like.

Later, during the Zhou dynasty, writings on bronze pots and in a book called the Book of Rites suggest that Zhou kings started schools. These schools were for young noblemen who would one day serve the king. The Book of Rites hints that many of these schools were near ponds and forests. This makes historians think that these schools probably taught martial arts, especially archery. From the Zhou period onward, the government always had a strong say in how education worked.

New Ideas: The Warring States Period

The Warring States period was a time when many new ideas and ways of thinking appeared. Three important ones were Confucianism, Mohism, and Daoism. Out of these, Confucianism had the biggest and longest-lasting impact on China's schools and government education.

During this time, the central government became weaker, and local leaders gained more power. Some of these local leaders might have started academies to become stronger and more respected. Different groups of thinkers often formed political groups to gain influence. Leaders would invite rival scholars to their courts. This support from the government helped create China's first academies. People at this time really believed in the importance of education and respecting teachers.

One famous school from this period was the Jixia Academy. It was a very open place where scholars from different ideas, like Confucianism and Daoism, could come together to debate and study. However, this academy didn't last long enough to affect later Chinese schools.

Han Dynasty: Confucianism Takes Over

During the Han dynasty, Emperor Wu decided that Confucianism would be the main idea for education in China. In 124 BC, a special school was set up to train people to work for the government. This school taught the Five Classics of Confucianism. The old Chinese idea about education, from a wise man named Mencius, was: "Those who work with their minds govern others; those who work with their strength are governed by others." This meant that educated people were seen as leaders.

Sui and Tang Dynasties: Imperial Exams Begin

The Sui dynasty (581–619) started the imperial examination system. This was a way to find and hire educated people, especially those who followed Confucian ideas, to work in the government. By the Song dynasty (960–1279), these imperial exams became the most important part of China's old political and education system. Higher education in ancient China was mainly there to prepare people for these important exams.

Medieval Period: Schools and New Inventions

The imperial exams started around 605 AD. To take the final exam in the capital city, people first had to pass a test in their local area. This led to many private schools opening up. Famous examples include the White Deer Grotto Academy and Donglin Academy. Also, a special art school called Pear Garden appeared in the early 8th century, and a national military school was set up in 1178.

The invention of paper and movable type (like printing presses) made a huge difference. It became much easier to make books, which helped education grow a lot.

Qing Dynasty: Changes and Modern Schools

A Chinese School (1847)

During the Qing dynasty, most education happened in local academies. These schools didn't charge money and even gave money to students who were chosen to attend. They focused on studying classic books and literature, not just preparing students for government jobs. Teachers usually didn't give many lectures. Instead, they offered advice and looked at the students' research.

The government didn't pay much attention to teaching engineering, math, or other sciences. This created a big difference in military power between China and European countries. After losing wars like the First Opium War, China realized it needed to change. So, the Qing government started a "self-strengthening movement." In 1861, they opened the Tongwen Guan, which hired foreign teachers to teach European languages, math, astronomy, and chemistry.

In 1872, the Qing dynasty sent 120 students to study in the United States. This was China's first time sending students to study abroad.

After China lost to Japan in the first Sino-Japanese War, the first modern university in China, Peiyang University, was founded in 1895. Its way of teaching was based on the American system. In 1898, Peking University was started, following the Japanese education system. In 1905, the old imperial examinations were finally stopped. In 1908, the American President Theodore Roosevelt created a program that used money from the Boxer Indemnity (money China had to pay after the Boxer Rebellion) to help higher education in China and send Chinese students to the U.S. Tsinghua University was founded in 1911 because of this program.

Modern Era: Education in Recent Times

Republic of China

The New Culture Movement in 1919 was a reaction against the Chinese government focusing too much on technical skills. It led to new interest in ideas and theories, but with a focus on Western ideas instead of Confucianism. Education was not very organized during this time because China was politically divided. Different warlords and foreign powers, especially Japan, controlled parts of China.

After the Kuomintang government moved to Taiwan in 1949, schooling became mandatory for six years of primary school. In 1968, this was extended to nine years.

People's Republic of China

During the Chinese Civil War, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) worked to improve education in the areas they controlled. They opened schools for adults and children (both boys and girls) and used local textbooks. They also started campaigns to teach people to read and write. This was the first time in Chinese history that ordinary farmers had a chance to get an education. After the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, the CCP took control of the education system. A big goal in the early years was to teach more people to read and write. In 1949, only about 20 to 40% of people could read. The government worked hard to improve this through schools and reading campaigns. By 1979, almost all young people in China went to primary school.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences was set up in 1949. Education was changed to follow the Soviet Union's model. Smaller engineering departments were combined into large technical schools like Tsinghua University. Education became very specialized, with students studying very specific topics.

The government also took over or closed many American-run universities. These universities, which used to be for rich students, were changed into Soviet-style schools for farmers and workers. They focused more on practical skills than on theoretical knowledge.

In the 1950s and 1960s, university graduates were given jobs by the government. Some larger workplaces even had schools right on their property. In the late 1950s, the government introduced simplified Chinese characters in schools and newspapers to make reading easier and increase literacy.

During the Great Leap Forward, the number of universities grew a lot. Education reforms during this time tried to get students and staff more involved in running schools. They also tried to favor students from worker, farmer, or soldier backgrounds for admission. The role of the Communist Party and politics in schools also increased.

In the 1960s, Mao Zedong felt that the Chinese education system was wasting young people's talents. He suggested making school years shorter and combining learning with activities like farming, factory work, and military service.

Cultural Revolution

The early parts of the Cultural Revolution caused big problems for education. In June 1966, the national university entrance exams were stopped. This meant that many high school students from 1966, 1967, and 1968 couldn't go straight to college. Instead, the rural education system grew, and high school graduates were expected to go back to their villages to help develop the countryside.

Based on an idea from Mao Zedong in 1968, special "July 21st Industrial Universities" were set up in factories. These were part-time programs for technical and engineering studies. Factories across the country started their own education programs for technicians and engineers.

During the Cultural Revolution, reformers wanted students to learn critical thinking, factory skills, and farming skills, while still studying academics. When schools reopened in the early 1970s, students from worker, farmer, and soldier backgrounds were the main focus. The school subjects were changed to focus on practical education. Learning from books was seen as less important. Classroom time was only a small part of the school day, and the rest was spent on practical training.

After the Cultural Revolution

Starting in 1977, the college entrance exam system was brought back. This made it harder for highly motivated farmers who had benefited from the "worker, farmer, soldier" model to get into college. Many young people who had been sent to the countryside rushed to take the exams, eager to continue their studies.

Since the 1990s

In 1990, less than 2% of adults in China had college degrees. But since 2000, higher education has grown very quickly. Many new universities and colleges have been built. By 2015, more than 15% of adults had college degrees. By 2020, 54% of young people in China who were old enough for college were enrolled.

In 1991, the CCP started the "Patriotic Education Campaign." This campaign focused on education, and textbooks were changed to emphasize the Party's role in ending China's "century of humiliation" (a period when China was often bullied by foreign powers). As part of this, schools had to take students to important historical sites related to the Chinese Communist Revolution.

More women also started going to college. By 2009, half of all college students were women. China's increase in women's higher education has been much faster than in many other countries.

Since the 1990s, the Soviet model of education has mostly been stopped in China. Many universities have grown or merged to offer a wider range of subjects, along with specialized technical training.

In 2003, China's Ministry of Education asked for environmental education to be added to public school subjects, from primary school through high school.

Xi Administration

In 2021, the government stopped private tutoring for schoolchildren. The idea was that the high cost of education was making it harder for everyone to have a fair chance. This move was meant to help close the education gap between rich and poor families. New rules said that private tutoring centers could not register as new businesses, and existing ones had to become non-profit. They were also not allowed to offer tutoring on weekends or public holidays.

Also, since September 2021, private schools that offer basic education cannot be controlled by foreign groups or people. Only Chinese citizens can be on their boards of directors.

Islamic Education

Jingtang Jiaoyu was a type of Islamic education that developed during the Ming dynasty among the Hui people, who are Chinese Muslims. This education was centered around Mosques. The main subjects included 13 important books in Arabic and Persian. In these schools, some Chinese Muslim writings, like the Han Kitab, were also used for teaching. Persian was the main foreign language used by Chinese Muslims, followed by Arabic.

Hui Muslim generals like Ma Fuxiang and Ma Bufang helped fund schools or supported students who studied abroad. Muslim officials in the Republic of China government also supported a teachers' academy that helped bring in a new era of Islamic education in China. This academy promoted Chinese nationalism and the Chinese language among Muslims, helping them become more involved in Chinese society.

Some Chinese Muslim students, like Wang Jingzhai and Muhammad Ma Jian, were among the first Chinese students in modern times to study at Al-Azhar University in Egypt.

Hui Muslims from central China had different views on women's education than those from northwestern provinces. In central China, there was a history of women's Mosques and religious schooling for women. However, in northwestern China, reformers started bringing female education in the 1920s. For example, the Muslim leader Ma Bufang founded a secular school for Hui girls in Linxia, Gansu.

Even though religious education for children is officially forbidden by law in China, the government allows Hui Muslims to have their children educated in religion and attend Mosques. This law is enforced more strictly on Uyghurs. After finishing high school, Hui students are allowed to study religion under an Imam. Since the 1980s, Islamic private schools (called Sino-Arabic schools) have been supported and allowed by the Chinese government in most Muslim areas, except for Xinjiang, due to concerns about separatism there.

See also

• Academies (China)
• Guozijian (Imperial Academies)
• Hanlin Academy
• Imperial examination
• Education in the People's Republic of China