education

China Tightens Rules on Study Aids to Ease Student Pressure

Timely reports on issues and events from across China. Drawing on a vast range of sources, these succinct articles provide insights into the significance of each issue in a wider context.

NEWS

Shanghai, Shenzhen and other cities are curbing extra workbooks as authorities double down on reforms to ease exam stress.

Li Xin

China’s Higher Ed Reform Pivots From Old Majors to New Tech

The new plan calls for integrating AI and the sciences into curricula, building a national data platform, and steering resources to high-demand fields.

After 4-Day Search, Boy With Autism Found Dead in SW China

The boy’s disappearance during a summer camp trip prompted nationwide concern. Authorities are now investigating the company that organized it.

In Specialized Education Push, China Opens Wave of Elite Research Universities

A growing number of specialized research institutions are challenging the country’s traditional top universities with better facilities and more promising career prospects.

He Qitong

China to Start Rolling Out Free Preschool Education

As part of the country’s pro-birth push, public kindergartens nationwide will begin to waive care and education fees as soon as the coming school year.

China’s Private Colleges Ease Entry, Still Struggle for Students

Recent reforms to the national college entrance system and high tuition fees are leaving private schools with thousands of vacant seats.

Class Divide: Raising the Voices of Vocational Students

Translations, cross-publications, and collaborative projects from Sixth Tone’s external partners. 

SIXTH TONE ×

Often portrayed as “failures” and “dropouts,” students are writing to change the narrative on vocational education in China.

Jiemian News

Gansu Kindergarten Poisoning: 6 Arrests, Probe Finds Cover-Up

Authorities say over 240 children were poisoned by lead-tainted food at Peixin Kindergarten, with school leaders, hospital staff, and regulators all implicated in a widening investigation.

Pet Degree: A Top Chinese School Debuts a Companion Animal Major

With an estimated 100 million-plus pet owners in the country, higher education institutions are beginning to realize the potential in pet-related courses.

‘Too Big a Risk’: Chinese Students Rethink the American Dream

Articles that cut to the core of contemporary China. In-depth, informed, and carefully crafted, every piece is carried by the voices of the story’s participants.

FEATURES

After an abrupt visa freeze and a vague policy reversal, many Chinese students find themselves locked out, or walking away, from what had long been the default path to opportunity.

Chen Yiru

Amid Gaokao, Students Turn to a Reclusive Math Genius for Luck

Wei Dongyi had largely stayed out of the public eye since going viral in 2021. But a surprise appearance on Douyin ahead of China’s college entrance exam last week drew millions of new followers within days.

Time Travel to Super Memory: China’s ‘Brain’ Schools Sell the Surreal

Thousands of companies promising to unlock young children’s brain potential have opened in recent years, drawing in eager parents — and concern from the scientific community.

The Chinese Families Choosing an African Education

Contributions from individuals with unique perspectives to share. Hear from everyone, from experts and commentators to those whose voices are often marginalized.

VOICES & OPINION

For some, it’s a path to a more global life for their kids.

An Ning

A Love Letter to Overseas Chinese Moms

Or, how I learned to make peace with raising a mostly monolingual kid.

Zhou Shuxuan

China’s Top Court Eases Burden on Schools Over Student Injuries

The ruling reduces legal risk for schools while reaffirming their duties in supervision, safety education, and preventing bullying.

Ding Rui

Chinese Firm Used Fake UN Website to Target Students: Xinhua 

Students were offered fake U.N. internships and awards for a fee, using copied websites and forged documents to appear legitimate.

Fan Yiying

Want Kids to Stay in School? Let Them Keep Their Phones.

Phone confiscations are playing a surprisingly big role in rural China’s drop-out problem.

Shen Hui

Young, Tired, and Still Trying: China’s Next Generation Rethinks Success

Writer Peter Hessler and anthropologist Xiang Biao on the changing lives of young Chinese, the meaning of hard work, and why parents should cut their kids some slack.

Sixth Tone

‘I Love Him’: A Suicide, a Student’s Diary, and a School’s Reckoning

A high school teacher’s alleged sexual assault of his student caused her years of depression and her eventual suicide.

Original (Jiefang Daily)

China Probes Online Side Job Scam That Cost Teachers Millions

A growing number of teachers say they lost money to a platform that faked students and delayed payments before disappearing entirely.