Moral Education in the People's Republic of China

This paper attempts an analysis of moral education in the People's Republic of China from 1949 to 1989. It reveals that moral education in China is basically the expressed thoughts of political leaders, which intrude into other branches of education. As such, it is a means of political indoctrination. Unchanging in purpose, it varies in degree and content, as political leaders and/or policies change. The conclusion reached is that, divorced from personal and everyday life, moral education in China succumbs to confusion in personal and social life, as demonstrated during the Cultural Revolution from 1966 to 1976. Moral education is clearly for the benefit of the government rather than for the individual person.