| Abstract As China’s economy continues to grow rapidly and the country becomes more and more integrated into the global community, a sound understanding of the educational past is important for four reasons, First, a deep knowledge of one’s own educational system is a form of self knowledge that is an essential foundation for China’s healthy development as an independent society that can contribute positively to the global community. Secondly, in the Chinese context self-knowledge demands also knowledge of the other – the major educational influences from outside China that have shaped China’s modern educational system. Thirdly, one of the unique features of China’s modern educational development has been the tendency to experiment in education in different ways and at different periods. An understanding of the ideas lying behind each experiment, what aspects of it failed or why it succeeded, is valuable for the field. Who better to analyze these experiments that Chinese educators themselves who have lived through many of them? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, much is now expected in terms of what China may contribute to the global community. Its economic contribution, as a newly accepted member of the WTO has been a focus of interest, but what about its responsibility to contribute ideas in the field of education to the world community? Without a deep self knowledge and understanding of one’s own history, it may be difficult to know what can and should be shared with a global community that is looking for new directions for education. |
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