Requisitioned academic time: A contradictory deconstruction of Chinese university faculty’s work priorities under the “Double First-Class” initiative

This study examines the academic career development context in China through a temporal lens. Based on questionnaire data collected from university faculty across 12 Chinese provinces and municipalities, the analysis reveals three core findings. First, undergraduate teaching constitutes a compulsory and high-priority time block for Chinese university academics. Second, while most faculty aspire to prioritize academic writing, administrative tasks consistently take precedence over research in practice—a pattern rooted in the dominance of administrative power over academic authority in higher education institutions. Third, faculty’s expected priority for research time significantly outweighs its actual operational priority in daily work. Accordingly, this study proposes a tri-level governance framework to support the sustainable development of China’s academic profession.