Social Changes and the Revival of Liberal Education in China since the 1990s

Overview & Synopsis

China's higher education placed exclusive emphasis on narrowly specialized education and neglected liberal education before the 1990s. However, along with the dramatic social changes since the 1990s, liberal education has revived in China. This paper first examines the characteristics of higher education in China before the 1990s, and then explores the ideas, policies, and specific measures in higher education reform since the 1990s within the larger social context, and thirdly, with a case study on the "liberal education curriculum" introduced by Peking University in 2000, it investigates the ideas, contents and characteristics of liberal education. Finally, it reveals the rationale for the liberal education revival in China.