Introduction

This book, first published in 1991, is concerned with educational change. It seeks to place Chinese educational policies within the broader social context of Chinese development and modernisation imperatives by analysing issues germane to specific educational structures and sectors. At the same time, it attempts to inform the reader of larger policy issues which affect the educational system as a whole and speak to more global concerns: the nature of Chinese student activism, gender inequality, rural-urban disparities, educational inequality, the influences of market forces, and the growth of professionalism.