Why is China So Important?

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A city important to my family’s development would be Tianjing, China. This is the city where my parents grew up, met and got married. Although they lived in the same city for most of their childhood, they never met until graduate school. It was in Tianjing that they got married. Tianjing is an important city to my family because it’s where my parents grew up and finally met. In “The International Review of Education”, Springer writes about “Private Higher Education in China”. In 1988, there were about 2,000 private colleges consisting of 1 million students in Beijing, Tianjing and Shanghai alone. There are several reasons for why colleges started to grow in China: social development, government attitudes and historical traditions. Understanding the college system in China is important knowledge for Americans because China will become the world’s next powerhouse; the more we can connect with them, the better off America will be.

Social development has caused the rise of private economy, family and group industries. These three things have provided the ability and materials for college. As the economy begins to reform, the current rigid structure will fall to a market that will create cooperation between the country and the city, establishing more colleges in the country. Through legislation and financial commissions, the government has supported both public and private colleges. The government also encourages donations to help advance the development of colleges since it does not have the budget to cover all of college’s bills. Higher education has also been a public part of China’s history. Public colleges were managed by a restrictive admissions administration. Private colleges had more freedom and therefore was easier for them to conduct research.

            Even though the Chinese public college system remains much larger than the private system, the former should follow the latter for reform.  The private system disconnects education from employment assignment.  The students remain free of state domination because the private systems does not assign students to jobs.  College students have no trouble finding jobs considering that those who fail the National Entrance Exam, which permits entry into a state university, do not earn guaranteed employment.  Moreover, private college shave a continued existence due to their high quality and efficiency.  In effect, the founders attempt to minimize costs.  Also, private school students seemingly study harder since most families spend 30-50% of their income on education.  In addition, private colleges set the standard for effective faculty hiring.  Although appointment remains part-time, or temporary, few colleges have unnecessary staff.  Many students express an unwillingness to live in the countryside, where the standard of living stays low.  Therefore, many colleges are built along the countryside in order to increase the graduate’s likelihood of living or obtaining a job there.

So why is a random city half way across the globe important to the rest of the world? China’s economy is booming and has been heralded as the next great world power. To know more about China’s history is important to understanding China itself. Tianjing is one of the biggest cities in China. The more we know about China, the better relations we can have with them in the future when they do become one of the most powerful countries in the world. 

Bibliography: 

Rui, Yang. "Private Higher Education in the People's Republic of China: A Silent Resurgence." International Review of Education. (1993): 438-444. Print. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3445246?origin=JSTOR-pdf>.