Empowering Lifelong Learning through Higher Education in China: Innovations and Challenges

In response to the forces of globalization, the knowledge-based economy, and the rapid development of information technology, UNESCO has issued a series of documents on the role of education in social development and put forward the concepts of lifelong education and lifelong learning. The processes of globalization and digitization have resulted in the formation of unprecedentedly close ties between individuals across the globe. However, these developments have also contributed to an increase in turbulence, complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity within the global environment. In this context, education, especially higher education, should consider how to facilitate how to enhance learners' lifelong learning abilities to adapt to rapid changes. This paper presents an analysis of the theoretical literature and empirical studies on China’s higher education empowering lifelong learning in CNKI (the biggest database in China). It also examines the challenges China faces in empowering lifelong learning through higher education and explores effective ways for higher education to empower lifelong learning. This study finds that higher education plays a pivotal role in facilitating lifelong learning. However, it is not yet a comprehensive "education for all" for all those who could benefit from lifelong education. The attention to minority or underrepresented groups is constrained