Homeschool's New Day in China

7/29/2019 Homeschool's New Day in China

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Homeschools New Day in ChinaBy Rachel TerryLast summer our family stayed on a university campus in Xian, China, for three weeks.

Everywhere we went, people wanted to touch our childrens blonde hair and pinch theircheeks. When people found out we homeschooled, their jaws dropped, and we soon found

ourselves on a television talk show.From our visit to a Montessori kindergarten on the campus ofNorthwestern PolytechnicUniversity, we understood that education is paramount in China. Very young childrenspend long hours perfecting their handwriting, and teachers and administrators are

rightfully proud of the beautiful educational environments present in their schools. And yet,

everyone we spoke with about education had one name on their lips: Zheng Yuanjie.

Well-known childrens author Zheng Yuanjie homeschooled his now-grown son, Zheng Qiya,

and the sons success has validated the fathers efforts. Parents all over China look at Zheng

Yaqis successhes opened bookstores, started magazines, and set up photography

studiosand wonder if maybe homeschooling has contributed to his successful creativeendeavors.1

Growing Interest in HomeschoolingZheng Qiya has succeeded in areas that many Chinese students find mystifying: the artsand entrepreneurship. Traditional Chinese education has been based on rote memory and

repetition, and while this method has produced many students who calculate andregurgitate facts at the speed of light, some parents are beginning to question its wisdom.

In 2005, China Dailypublished an interview with a teacher at Guangzhou Baiyun

Institute who was teaching his 9-year-old daughter at home. The father, Wei Yuan, said

that he decided to homeschool because the schools teaching methods were stultifying.Kids have to do sums again and again and they are not allowed to openly express

themselves in compositions.2

Now-famous Han Han can relate. His parents allowed him to quit senior middle school,which in China is much more rigorous than American high school. Schools werent sure what

to do with Han. During his first year of senior middle school he won first prize in Chinas

nationwide New Concept Writing Competition, but he failed seven subjects in his finalexaminations that year.3After he left school, Han Han began writing with a fury. His first novel, Triple Door, sold

over two million copies and is Chinas best-selling literary work in the last twenty years.

Another novel has been made into a Hollywood film. With his newfound freedom, Hanbecame a race car driver, started a blog that has the largest online following in China (more

than 300 million viewers), and released an album of self-composed songs.4 Clearly, Han

Han is thriving without a traditional Chinese education, which has people talking. Andwondering.In China, the One-Child Policy ensures that almost all couples have just one child.5 Thatprecious child becomes the focus of his parents and grandparents ambition and dreams. In

a country with such a large population, competition for college entrance is very stiff, and no


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parent wants to take risks that may result in lost opportunities for her child. And yet, the

success of Chinas well-known homeschoolers is increasingly alluring.Obstacles to HomeschoolingArticle 11 of Chinas Compulsory Education Law states: When children have reached school

age, their parents or guardians shall send them to school to receive compulsory educationfor the prescribed number of years. If, on account of illness or other special circumstances,school-age children or adolescents need to postpone or be exempted from schooling, their

parents or guardians shall submit an application to that effect to the local peoples

government for approval.6This law has been tested in Chinese courts of law several times, with diverse results. In onecase, a father who homeschooled his daughter was sued by his ex-wife, the girls mother.

The court ruled against the homeschooling father. He replied by saying he would never sendthe girl to school, and authorities have not pursued the case further or forced the girl to

attend public school.7Cases such as this test the waters in China, and parents are feeling bolder since authoritiesrarely force homeschoolers to return to school. For instance, in 2006, a 7-year-old boy wasordered by the court to go back to school, but an official involved with the case stated: A

punishment . . . wasnt written in because the punishment may be difficult to implement.

But home education is absolutely not advocated.8 Perhaps the larger obstacle is the riskinvolved.In China, entrance to a good university is considered the pinnacle of a successful childhood.Since competition is so steep, a college education all but ensures a good career and stable

future. Unlike in the United States, children are expected to help support their aging

parents, so taking a risk that may affect a childs future career has implications for thewhole family. Homeschoolers may not have an opportunity to take standard high schoolexaminations, and without compulsory exams, university admissions crews dont know how

to evaluate a students potential.9Also, unlike in the United States, where people can go back to college at any age, itsunheard of in China for older students to be admitted to traditional universities. During ourvisit in China, when the talk show producers found out that my husband was working on a

graduate degree in his late 30s, they scheduled another talk show with us because theyfound his situation so unusual. New technological advancements have led to online coursesand evening adult education classes in China, but these adult education courses dont hold

the same prestige as university degrees.10Cracks in Educational TraditionsDespite these obstacles, homeschooling in China is gaining momentum. With over a billionpeople in China who have mostly all received the same rigid, memorization-basededucation, there is great opportunity for young people who have creative skills and freedom

to pursue their interests, students like Han Han and Zheng Qiya. These young men havefound that their creativity has boosted them to the forefront of their cultures. Their free-

thinking and analytic skills have allowed them to be cultural leaders in a place where many

traditional ways are being questioned by the youth.


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Perhaps homeschooling is not as big a gamble as many Chinese parents think. When they

look at the success of homeschooled students who are now adults, they see that in many

ways, homeschooling gives children an edge.While our family visited with university students in China, we often heard statements like I

joined the Communist party, even though I didnt want to or I would never join the

Communist party. Young people seem more and more willing to assert their individualityand express their personal opinions. Maybe theyre taking their cues from the government.The Chinese government seems to be vacillating about how much personal freedom to give

its people. For instance, although the government requires that churches follow certainguidelines and officially register, state leaders rarely interfere with unregistered churches

and congregations. Human rights group China Aid estimates that there are currently 80

million to 130 active Christians in China and that 60 percent of them regularly attendunregistered churches.11The state also seems to be wavering about how much personal economic freedom to give its

people. Since the 1980s, China has slowly lifted restrictions regarding private property, and

this gradual lift has helped with their overall economic boom.

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However, the governmentstill confiscates property it wants without compensating citizens,13 and entrepreneurs know

their success partially depends on the whims of a less-than-transparent authority.With the government going back and forth on so many important freedoms, its natural thatstudents and parents are looking to new educational options like homeschooling. Many

Chinese homeschoolers believe that a good home education will produce happier childrenwho enjoy learning, although many recognize that only the wealthy in China can currently

afford to homeschool. Most Chinese families rely on two incomes, and sacrificing one incomewhile trying to buy educational materials seems insurmountable for many families in China.

As the success stories mount, however, it becomes clear that homeschool is seeing a new

day in China.

Endnotes:1.www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=52615&date=2012-

02-08, accessed February 15, 2012.2. www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993.htm,accessed February 15, 2012.3. english.qstheory.cn/culture/201112/t20111231_133081.htm, accessed

February 15, 2012.4. www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/07/04/110704fa_fact_osnos, accessedFebruary 15, 2012.5. www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/world/asia/11china.html, accessed February

15, 2012.6. www.chinaeducenter.com/en/cedu/cel.php, accessed February 15, 2012.

7. www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993_3.htm,

accessed February 15, 2012.8. www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-09/20/content_692806.htm, accessedFebruary 15, 2012.9. www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jun/28/chinese-university-entrance-

exams, accessed February 15, 2012.10. news.at0086.com/China-Universities/Chinas-Online-and-adult-education.html
http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=52615&date=2012-02-08http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=52615&date=2012-02-08http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=52615&date=2012-02-08http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993.htmhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993.htmhttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/07/04/110704fa_fact_osnoshttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/07/04/110704fa_fact_osnoshttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/world/asia/11china.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/world/asia/11china.htmlhttp://www.chinaeducenter.com/en/cedu/cel.phphttp://www.chinaeducenter.com/en/cedu/cel.phphttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993_3.htmhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993_3.htmhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-09/20/content_692806.htmhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-09/20/content_692806.htmhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jun/28/chinese-university-entrance-examshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jun/28/chinese-university-entrance-examshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jun/28/chinese-university-entrance-examshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jun/28/chinese-university-entrance-examshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/jun/28/chinese-university-entrance-examshttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-09/20/content_692806.htmhttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993_3.htmhttp://www.chinaeducenter.com/en/cedu/cel.phphttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/11/world/asia/11china.htmlhttp://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/07/04/110704fa_fact_osnoshttp://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-08/11/content_467993.htmhttp://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=52615&date=2012-02-08http://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=52615&date=2012-02-08


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11.www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/, accessed February

15, 2012.12.www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/world/asia/16iht-web-0315china.4927191.html?pagewanted=all, accessed February 15, 2012.13.www.asianews.it/news-en/Protester-dies-in-jail.-Riots-over-confiscated-land-on-the-rise-23411.html, accessed February 15, 2012.Rachel Terry lives in Colorado with her husband Ben and three children. In addition toteaching her children, she loves reading, writing, and spending time in the outdoors with

her family. You can reach her [email protected] 2012, used with permission. All rights reserved by author. Originally appeared in

the March 2012 issue of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, the family education magazine.

Read the magazine free at www.TOSMagazine.comor read it on the go and download thefree apps at www.TOSApps.comto read the magazine on your mobile devices.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/world/asia/16iht-web-0315china.4927191.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/world/asia/16iht-web-0315china.4927191.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/world/asia/16iht-web-0315china.4927191.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/world/asia/16iht-web-0315china.4927191.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/Protester-dies-in-jail.-Riots-over-confiscated-land-on-the-rise-23411.htmlhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/Protester-dies-in-jail.-Riots-over-confiscated-land-on-the-rise-23411.htmlhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/Protester-dies-in-jail.-Riots-over-confiscated-land-on-the-rise-23411.htmlhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/Protester-dies-in-jail.-Riots-over-confiscated-land-on-the-rise-23411.htmlmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.tosmagazine.com/http://www.tosmagazine.com/http://www.tosmagazine.com/http://www.tosapps.com/http://www.tosapps.com/http://www.tosapps.com/http://www.tosapps.com/http://www.tosapps.com/http://www.tosmagazine.com/http://www.tosmagazine.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.asianews.it/news-en/Protester-dies-in-jail.-Riots-over-confiscated-land-on-the-rise-23411.htmlhttp://www.asianews.it/news-en/Protester-dies-in-jail.-Riots-over-confiscated-land-on-the-rise-23411.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/world/asia/16iht-web-0315china.4927191.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/16/world/asia/16iht-web-0315china.4927191.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/01/20/christianity-china/

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Homeschool's New Day in China