Education

Why some in China want English out of the classroom

A social media influencer’s call to strip English of its core-subject status in China’s national exams has highlighted a growing tension between nationalistic rhetoric, real-world pragmatism and the need for structural educational reform. Lianhe Zaobao’s China news correspondent Lim Zhan Ting finds out more.

Lim Zhan Ting

08 Sep 2026

How an American influencer exposed China’s ‘crotch nationalism’

The scandal surrounding an American influencer in China has exposed how quickly pro-China digital personas can turn sour, leaving female victims caught in a crossfire of nationalist judgment. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu dives into the matter.

Liu Liu

26 Aug 2026

Are Chinese universities abolishing the ‘iron rice bowl’?

Tongji University’s decision to replace faculty tenure with three-yearly assessments effectively ends the traditional “iron rice bowl” concept for university lecturers. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing explores the issue.

Chen Jing

20 Aug 2026

Fudan targeted as universities become casualties of the tech war

Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University have been placed on a US national security list, while China has targeted a European university. The moves signal a new era in which academic research is increasingly treated as a security risk. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Sim Tze Wei reports.

Sim Tze Wei

18 Aug 2026

Why China’s universities stopped fighting AI

Having initially sought to restrict the use of generative AI, Chinese universities are increasingly incorporating it into teaching and research. However, institutions are also grappling with difficult questions over authorship, accountability and how to preserve academic integrity in the age of AI, notes Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu.

Liu Liu

03 Aug 2026

Million-dollar overseas degrees, entry-level Chinese salaries

For decades, studying abroad was seen as a ticket to opportunity. Now, more Chinese graduates are returning home — only to find that foreign credentials carry less weight than before. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Liu examines the issue.

Liu Liu

08 Jul 2026

[Big read] Inside China’s arts exam shadow market

Behind China’s arts entrance exams lies a costly world of influence and opaque deals, where talent alone rarely secures a place. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Qi Lu speaks to those who have lived through such experiences, and to academics who explain how the system works.

Qi Lu

23 Jun 2026

Complaints against teachers in China: How much is too much?

A recent case where a Fudan University associate professor was accused of being unprofessional has thrown the spotlight on the larger issue of complaints  — founded and unfounded — against teachers in China. Lianhe Zaobao associate China news editor Chen Jing gives her take and explores where to draw the line.

Chen Jing

04 Jun 2026

[Big read] Why Malaysian youths are choosing mainland China over Taiwan for degrees

For generations, a Taiwan degree meant upward mobility for Malaysian Chinese. Today, a rising China and evolving local options are changing where students choose to carve out their futures. Lianhe Zaobao journalist Tan Jet Min reports.

Tan Jet Min

03 Jun 2026

[Big read] The returnees: Inside China’s AI talent reversal

From Silicon Valley to Beijing and Shenzhen, a growing number of AI researchers are returning to China, reshaping careers, companies and the global balance of tech talent. Lianhe Zaobao correspondent Liu Sha examines this high-stakes return and what drives it.

Liu Sha

26 May 2026

Can ASEAN find its own voice between great powers?

As great power rivalries intensify, Southeast Asia is moving beyond mere geopolitical balancing and pursuing “epistemic autonomy”. The region is rejecting imported Western narratives to build its own knowledge, trust local institutions, and dictate its own future on its own terms, say Chinese academics Li You and Zhai Kun.

Li You, Zhai Kun

21 May 2026

America is running out of China experts

A retiring generation of leading sinologists and declining student interest in China studies are creating a widening expertise gap in the US, prompting warnings of an academic generational rupture, says US academic Wu Guo.

Wu Guo

15 May 2026