In 1976, an important change took place in the Chinese education system.

Entrance exams began being used as a way to determine who enters colleges and universities. These exams, based on national standardized test sores, were implemented by the Chinese government.

At the beginning of New China in 1949, common people were classified into several classes of family backgrounds: the landlord, the rich peasant, the middle peasant, the lower peasant, the poor peasant and the capitalist, according to their professions and economic situations before the liberation.

From then on, the family background of a person not only played an important role in every aspect of his/her life, but also affected his/her children’s lives, especially their education.

Only those who came from the poor, lower and middle peasant class families were able to enter high schools, and subsequently were permitted to attend colleges and universities. This was depressing to the young generation because they cannot choose their birth families.

Fortunately, in 1976, realizing the importance of education prosperity, the Chinese government emphasized that sci-technology as the first productive force for the country’s economic development.

Soon after, the entrance policy for higher education was enacted stating no matter what a person’s family background was, he/she could go to a high school and possibly a university. This change was so encouraging, students nationwide began to work hard on their lessons. Nowadays, Chinese people are beginning to value their education more and more.

From the first day Chinese children go to school, they will learn to be competitive in studying.

If this change had not taken place, the Chinese education system would still be in a state of paralysis.

Shuxia Sun

Graduate student

Mathematics