The US-China Podcast

Peter Hessler on China’s Evolving Education System

Aug 28, 2024

In this conversation, Peter Hessler, a former teacher in China, shares his firsthand insights on the dramatic evolution of China's education system since the 1990s. He reflects on how socio-economic changes have transformed student demographics and aspirations, moving from first-generation college students to a more ambitious, only-child cohort. Hessler also contrasts education in China and the U.S., discussing the complexities of navigating identity and cultural influences through the lens of his own teaching experiences and personal anecdotes.

31:42

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Peter Hessler

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Quick takeaways

The transformation of China's education system reflects broader societal changes, with college attendance rising from 8% in the 1990s to over 51% by 2019.

Contemporary students face heightened pressure and expectations as only children, leading to risk aversion unlike their more entrepreneurial predecessors from the 1990s.

Deep dives

The Transformation of China's Education System

China's education system has undergone significant transformation in response to broader social and economic changes. The percentage of young people attending college increased dramatically from 8% in the late 1990s to over 51% by 2019, reflecting the rapid expansion of higher education. This change brought about not only a shift in the demographics of students, with many coming from urban, middle-class backgrounds, but also an increase in the overall educational attainment of the population. Such developments have reshaped the expectations and experiences of students today compared to those from previous generations who often faced economic hardships and limited opportunities.

Define Your Values to Navigate Complexity

01:08

Styles Change, Standards Rise

01:18

Intro

3min

Generational Shifts in China's Education

8min

Navigating Education in China

9min

Reflections on Teaching in China

7min

Navigating Education and Identity in China's Changing Landscape

5min

In 1996, when Peter Hessler first went to China to teach, almost all of his students were first-generation college students. Most came from large rural families, and their parents, subsistence farmers, could offer little guidance as their children entered a new world. By 2019, when Mr. Hessler arrived at Sichuan University, he found a very different China, as well as a new kind of student – an only child whose schooling was the object of intense focus from a much more ambitious cohort of parents. China’s education system offers a means of examining the country’s past, present, and future. At a time when anti-Chinese rhetoric in America has grown intense, Other Rivers is a work of empathy that shows us China from the inside out and the bottom up.

In an interview conducted on August 6, 2024, Peter Hessler, in conversation with Lenora Chu, looks at Chinese education as a way to understand both China and the United States.

About the speakers: https://www.ncuscr.org/video/peter-hessler-other-rivers/

Follow Peter Hessler on X: @peterhessler

Follow Lenora Chu on X: @LenoraChu

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