On Building China’s Independent Knowledge System in Education

Abstract

The formation of an independent knowledge system marks a mature discipline, prosperous scholarship, and self-conscious discourse of Chinese education. Originating from the eastward spread of Western learning, Chinese education repeatedly suffered from overwhelming destruction for more than a century. However, Chinese education has consistently taken national character and historical continuity as the main threadof independent knowledge construction, contemporaneity and originality as a powerful drive for knowledge development, and systematic nature and specialized nature as a basis of social identity. Chinese education has increasingly highlighted its properties in people’s well-being, national strategy, and political arena with changing times for more than 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China. China’s independent knowledge system in education consists of the disciplinary system, academic system, discourse system, textbook system, and governance system. Specifically, it is composed of iconic concepts, core knowledge, and cutting-edge knowledge in terms of content form. The knowledge production of Chinese education is achieved by academic disciplines, schools, societies, and publications. The knowledge development is propelled by the transformation and application of practice knowledge, policy knowledge, and educational thoughts. The characteristics of Chinese education stem from the traditions, practices, and problems of Chinese education and are based on disciplinary consciousness, academic autonomy, and cultural confidence. It is imperative to properly cope with the dialectics of Chinese characteristics and general knowledge, lay a solid foundation of the education discipline, and ignite originality in the academic system. Additionally, it is necessary to enhance the guiding role of the textbook system and improve the effectiveness of the governance system. These efforts all aim to promote clear articulation, regular adoption, worldwide spreading, and the powerful impact of Chinese education, thereby providing guidance for thoughts and the foundation of theories for building a leading country in education.

Keywords

Chinese education / independent knowledge system / disciplinary system / academic system / discourse system

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press