Reciprocal Learning Among Chinese and Canadian Educational Cultures Amid Turbulent Global Relations

Purpose The article's purpose is to describe the success of the Canada–China Partnership Program during a time of turbulent global relations. The project aimed to generate reciprocal learning in educational settings between Canada and China with the ultimate goal of strengthening global harmony. The project began in 2013 when global relations were positive, and by the end of the project in 2024, global relations were tense. Project participants found themselves in two environments: a positive collaborative cross-cultural school-based working relationship and a guarded environment of negative sentiment. Design/Approach/Method Project design consisted of collaborative school-based and teacher education working relations. Sister schools and a teacher education exchange structure defined a reciprocal learning working environment. Research proceeded under the methodological rubric of narrative inquiry. Findings The project's success amidst global tensions is the key finding reported herein. Content findings are in the 16-volume “Intercultural Reciprocal Learning in Chinese and Western Education” book series and in associated articles. Originality/Value This study is original to all participants, none of whom had prior experience with a long-duration collaborative Canada–China curriculum, teaching, and teacher education study, and for which there were no known working exemplars. Moreover, the study is original because it is a comparative study with, not of, another culture and because research was co-created in collaborative working environments. The origin of productive research questions rested with ongoing practice more than it did with office-defined theoretical scenarios. The value of this work is the demonstration of goodwill and the hopeful global harmony potential of educational reciprocal learning settings that avoid cultural judgments.