JTE v3n1 - The Potential for Technology Education in People's Republic of China
Volume 3, Number 1
Fall 1991
doi:10.21061/jte.v3i1.a.6
The Potential for Technology Education in People's Republic of China
Xinli Wu
With the rapid development of society
and economics in the People's Republic of
China, the importance of technology education
has been gradually recognized by both the
government and people of China. China has
benefited in many areas, including science
and technology, since China opened her na-
tion's gates to the industrialized western
countries. China and the United States signed
a memorandum of agreement to launch three
satellites (Chen, 1990). The U. S. government
has recently issued a license for shipment of
these three satellites to China. The suc-
cessful launching of AsiaSat-1, a satellite
manufactured by the Hughes Aircraft Company
for the Asia Satellite Telecommunication Cor-
poration, marked the beginning of China's
entry into the international satellite tele-
communication market. Technologies in other
areas, such as nuclear energy, superconduc-
tors, high-energy accelerators, advanced new
computers, and robots to serve mankind, have
also represented significant breakthroughs in
Chinese science and technology.
With the increased pace of scientific
and technological development, technology ed-
ucation in the mainland of China has new po-
tential. For example, the Odyssey of the
Mind program (OM, called Olympics of the Mind
in China), created by Dr. C. Samuel Micklus
of New Jersey of the United States in 1978,
has been adopted by the Chinese educational
system. The first OM competition at the sec-
ondary school level in China was held in
Beijing in March, 1990 (Kong, 1990). It was
organized by the Chinese magazine, "Secondary
School Students."
Almost all schools are public schools in
the socialist China. According to 1987 sta-
tistics, there were 807,400 elementary
schools with 128,358,000 pupils in the main-
land of China. Although 69.04% of the elemen-
tary school graduates were admitted to junior
high school, only 31.14 of junior high gradu-
ates were admitted to high school. In the
same year, the percentage of high school
graduates granted admission to colleges and
universities was 26.60 (SECOPRC, 1989).
These recent events raise a host of
questions: What is the history, current sta-
tus, and future of technology education in
China? Is it possible to establish technology
education systems in China? How can younger
generations and Chinese society benefit from
technology education? What are the impli-
cations of technology education for China?
BRIEF HISTORY AND STATUS OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCA-
TION IN CHINA
China has a long history of technolog-
ical inventions. Some greatest inventions in
the world originated in the ancient China.
Four of these inventions are paper manufac-
turing, gun powder, the compass, and printing
technology. China is one of the oldest coun-
tries with an education system. Vocational
education first appeared in China in isolated
schools around 1870. A national system of
vocational education was not set up until the
Qing Government promulgated the "Imperial Or-
dinance on Schools" in 1902 (UNESACO, 1985).
From then until 1949, when the People's Re-
public of China was established, the founda-
tion of technical and vocational education
was very weak. Ever since 1949, technical
and vocational education in China has gone
through a continuous process of reforms, re-
adjustment and improvement. "Technology are
the productive forces" is a well-known slogan
in China that has been frequently recognized.
The Central Committee of the Communist Party
of China declared: "A vital factor for the
success of our cause lies in the availability
of skilled people, which requires the vigor-
ous development of education as economic
growth allows." (ROCES, 1985, p.1)
Technology education, which involves a
study of communication, transportation, con-
struction and manufacturing systems as cur-
rently implemented in the United States and
some other advanced countries, has not yet
been established in mainland of China. Tech-
nology education is different from vocational
and technical education although they have
certain relationships. Technology education
deals with applying technology to understand,
use and evaluate technology while vocational
and technical education deals with developing
employment skills. A technology teacher edu-
cation major does not exist at the university
level within China. Technology education in
China exists solely in the forms of science
and engineering education in the universi-
ties. In some elementary and secondary
schools, technology education is currently
included in vocational and technical educa-
tion or integrated with general science edu-
cation. The National Education Commission
(SECOPRC, 1989) cited the following examples
of the current status of technology education
in Chinese schools:
1. The fourth and fifth grades in Beijing
Yumin elementary school have learned com-
puters.
2. The Qinghua middle school in Guiyang City
of Guizhou Province has had a computer
course since 1983.
3. An after-class group in physics at the
Quinghua Middle school in Guiyang City
experimentally on and demonstrated "heat
transmission." The group recently won
the national youngsters' science and
technology invention award.
4. Many schools have developed some courses
relative to technology education.
Chinese elementary school students are
required to have two hours of science, tech-
nical and entertainment (i.e., Art, Music,
and so on) instruction per week in the Five-
year Full Time Elementary School of China.
This amount is minimal. The official view is
that "in matters of educational structure,
our elementary education is inadequate, there
are not enough good-quality schools and there
is a serious shortage of qualified teachers
and basic facilities. Besides, vocational
and technical education, which is almost ur-
gently needed for economic development, has
not expanded as expected, while there is a
lop-sided arrangement of various disciplines
and levels of higher education." (ROCES,
1985, p.4)
Education in China is divorced, to vary-
ing degrees, from the needs of economic and
social growth and lags behind the scientific
and cultural development of the present-day
world. It is necessary for the Chinese edu-
cational system to start with systemic re-
forms of the educational structure. Through
a series of planned reforms, elementary edu-
cation will be substantially strengthened,
vocational and technical education will be
greatly expanded, colleges and universities
will be able to exploit their potential and
exercise greater initiative, and education of
all kinds and at all levels will actively ad-
dress the multiple needs of economic and so-
cial development (ROCES, 1985).
Both the Communist Party and the govern-
ment of China have recognized that in devel-
oping vocational and technical education,
China should focus on secondary vocational
and technical education and emphasize the
central role of specialized secondary
schools. At the same time, China should make
an effort to develop advanced vocational and
technical institutions. These institutions
will enroll students who graduated from sec-
ondary vocational or technical schools with
the required specialized training as well as
employed workers in technical fields who have
passed the entrance examinations. A system
of vocational and technical education with a
rational structure, ranging from elementary
to advanced levels, embracing all trades and
other areas in China societal structure, and
linked regular education will be gradually
established in China (ROCES,1985).
Establishment of a technology education
system in China is just a matter of time.
With the further development of science,
technology, economics, and associated
societal changes, Chinese educational sys-
tems will eventually shift from only voca-
tional and technical education to both
technology education and vocational and tech-
nical education. Technology education will
ultimately be considered an integral part of
general education.
RATIONALE TO ESTABLISH TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
IN CHINA
Today, technology shifts rapidly. It is
evident that what was purchased today will be
obsolete tomorrow. "A current estimate is
that our advanced technology enables know-
ledge to double about every five years."
(TEAP, 1988, p.1)
China, which has the largest population
in the world, is now moving forward in tech-
nology at the fastest rate in her history.
The motivations for this increased pace are
many. One can say that the economic founda-
tion of China was weak before 1949 and is
much stronger now. Education, including
technology education, is the foundation of a
nation's development. "Every nation now per-
ceives its national security and economic
health to be vitally dependent on its
strength in technology. This is creating
international contests for technological su-
periority, a world technology Olympics."
(Ramo, 1988, p.44)
People in China often say that technolo-
gies are productive forces. The prosperity
and development of a nation are based upon
its technology. A nation will be "beaten" if
its technologies fall behind those of more
advanced nations. The importance of technol-
ogy education can never be overemphasized.
Making Chinese youngsters technologically
literate is important. It promotes China's
national development, prosperity, and safety
as well as world peace. If Chinese young-
sters fail today, China will fail in the
twenty-first century.
POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION
IN CHINA
The development of technology education
in China has internal and external moti-
vations. China is a developing socialist
country. The socialist modernization of
China not only requires senior scientific and
technical experts but also urgently requires
millions of intermediate and junior engi-
neers, managerial personnel and technicians
who have received adequate vocational and
technical education as well as rural workers
who are well-trained vocationally. Without
these educated people, advanced sciences,
technologies and sophisticated equipment can-
not be translated into productive forces
(ROCES, 1985). Furthermore, the need for
economic, scientific and technological devel-
opment and increasingly higher qualifications
for employees are motivation to develop tech-
nology education in China. Although the
Chinese education system has not implemented
technology education, vocational and techni-
cal education are emphasized. Both the com-
munist party and government of China have the
confidence and determination to develop the
nation's technology education. It is time
for China to stand among the leaders in an
increasingly technological world.
Good technology education programs in
industrialized nations have a very strong in-
fluence and positive impact on technology ed-
ucation in China. For example, how would one
build a declined tower with dozens of
chopsticks without any adhesives or nails?
This tower should support a weight until it
is released by a control system assembled on
the top of the tower. How would one make a
bed on which loads could be supported with
kraft paper and two wooden bars? These two
activities were from OM activities showed in
a series of sixteen television programs named
"Olympics of the Mind of Secondary School
Students of China" from the first OM competi-
tion for secondary students in China. Begin-
ning March 18, 1990, these sixteen television
programs were broadcast throughout China via
the National CCTV (i.e. Chinese Central
Television Station) owned by the Chinese gov-
ernment. It is easy to image that the OM
program has had an impact on technology edu-
cation in China, and has developed positive
attitudes about technology education. Stu-
dents are very interested in the OM program,
the goals of which are to educate, foster,
and observe the students' abilities to ac-
tively and agilely solve problems. Besides
the OM program, Chinese educational systems
often hold technology program competitions at
the elementary, high school and university
educational levels. These include activities
such as model airplane competitions, technol-
ogy camps, computer application competitions,
that stimulate students to love and pursue
science and technology.
Chinese students studying technology ed-
ucation overseas can also affect the poten-
tial development of their motherland's
technology education through communication
with their universities, communities, or via
suggestions to their educational systems and
government.
According to the official plan for so-
cial and economic development in China, it is
important to establish technology education
systems. From the viewpoint of the internal
and external motivations, it is possible and
feasible to build good technology education
systems in China.
THE IMPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION IN
CHINA
Only 5.72 students out of 100 enrolled
elementary school students (according to 1987
statistics) were admitted to colleges and
universities for higher education in China.
Those not admitted will go to industry, the
military, business, and other selected areas,
most of these individuals will be employed in
the agricultural sector with the majority of
the Chinese people. With the development of
technology education in the future, those
students, who are not able to enter colleges
and universities, could also be technolog-
ically literate. By providing technological
literacy, technology education prepares our
youngsters to function as knowledgeable citi-
zens in a changing and increasingly techno-
logical world. Obviously, technology
education plays an essential and highly valu-
able role in both the education curricula and
societal needs.
Although science, technology, industry
and agriculture are progressing rapidly in
China, many facilities, equipment, and tools
in these areas, especially in agriculture,
are very old. Some agricultural tools used
in some areas of China today were used se-
veral centuries ago. If Chinese citizens in
the countryside were well educated about con-
temporary inventions and developments in ag-
riculture, they too would benefit from
technology education.
Reform and development of China's agri-
culture are one of the most important goals
in the eighth Five-year Plan (1991-1995),
which pushes Chinese technology education
forward. Technology education also has a
positive impact on industry and other sec-
tors. By helping students apply creative
abilities and problem-solving techniques,
technology education opens students' minds to
accelerate the development of technology in
China, increases the rate of improvement of
worker productivity (which is the key to a
higher living standard), and promotes tech-
nologies into productive forces. As a re-
sult, the citizens of China will live better
than they do now. Technology education can be
considered as a way to change and improve
living standards in Chinese society. To im-
prove living standards of 1.1 billion people
is not only a great contribution to the
Chinese nation, but also to the whole world
where technological advances are so pervasive
and competitive.
Technology education will promote the
modernization of science and technology, ag-
riculture, industry, and national defense in
China. These four modernizations are the
current goals which the communist party, gov-
ernment, and people of China are struggling
to realize by the end of this century.
CONCLUSION
Technology education, as currently im-
plemented in the United States and some other
advanced countries, does not exist in China's
educational systems. It is obvious that a
great potential for technology education ex-
ists in China. Technology education in China
will improve the technological literacy and
capability of Chinese citizens. Technology
education will also transform technology into
productive forces quickly, improve the living
standards of China nation, enhance the na-
tion's defense, and maintain the world's
peace.
----------------
Xinli Wu is a graduate assistant in the De-
partment of Civil Engineering at The
Pennsylvania State University, University
Park, PA. He was formerly a graduate student
at Millersville University and a lecturer in
Civil Engineering at Northeast University of
Technology, China. AUTHOR NOTE: I gratefully
acknowledge the assistance of Dr. Perry
Gemmill for his advice and comments on a
draft of this article. I also gratefully ac-
knowledge the assistance of Associate Profes-
sor Huang Tao, the Consul on Education at
Consulate General of the People's Republic of
China in New York, and Linda Steinmetz,
Microcomputer Specialist, Millersville Uni-
versity, for comments and technical assist-
ance.
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Ramo, S. (1988). The U.S.A. is losing the
world technology Olympics. TECHNOLOGICAL
HORIZONS IN EDUCATION, 15(8), 44.
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(ROCES) -- DECISION OF THE CENTRAL COMMIT-
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(1985). Beijing: Foreign Languages Press.
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Permission is given to copy any
article or graphic provided credit is given and
the copies are not intended for sale.
Journal of Technology Education Volume 3, Number 1 Fall 1991