The Transformation of Education and Society in China: A Personal Journey

The Evolution of Education in China: A Personal Reflection

In 1996, Peter Hessler found himself teaching at a small college nestled in the heart of Sichuan Province. At that time, an astounding 90 percent of his students hailed from rural villages, and Hessler, standing at 5 feet 9 inches, was noticeably taller than most of them by nearly half a head. The stark realities of their circumstances were evident; many students possessed just a single outfit for class—a simple blue suit jacket or perhaps a well-worn replica of a Chicago Bulls jersey. One student later confided in him that he could afford to eat only one meal a day.

Fast forward to 2019, when Hessler returned to China, this time as an educator at the Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute. The landscape of his classroom had dramatically shifted. All of his nonfiction writing students were now city dwellers, and some of the young women in his class even surpassed him in height. A few students sported retro Air Jordans, which were priced in the hundreds of dollars, a stark contrast to the previous generation’s frugality.

The transformations Hessler witnessed were emblematic of the monumental changes that China underwent over the span of just one generation. The demographic shift was striking, with the population moving from 70 percent rural to approximately two-thirds urban residents. According to the World Bank, the country experienced a remarkable twentyfold increase in economic output per person. Furthermore, a study published in The Lancet in 2020 revealed that among 200 countries, boys in China boasted the most significant height increase from 1985 to 2019, while Chinese girls ranked third in this growth.

However, amidst these sweeping social and economic changes, Hessler noted a stark continuity in the political landscape. In his new book, “Other Rivers: A Chinese Education,” he reflects, “I still taught next door to the College of Marxism, and the university continued to host traditional Communist rallies.” He grapples with the profound question: how could a nation experience such extensive social, economic, and educational evolution while its political framework remained stagnant, or even regressive?

This perplexing question resonates not only with Hessler but also with countless Chinese citizens, foreign policymakers, scholars, and journalists, including myself.