Are Chinese students learning English just to ‘tell China’s story’?

For decades, Chinese pupils have used English textbooks to peek into foreign cultures, from London’s Tower Bridge to Halloween customs. Now, when they open a textbook, they encounter passages on the late Qing dynasty thinker Liang Qichao, Dragon Boat Festival, and China's overseas aid initiatives. These shifts are part of a nationwide overhaul of primary and middle-school textbooks, which have shifted their focus towards Chinese culture and "telling China's story" of national achievements, igniting a debate on the purpose of English education in China.

The revised textbooks - introduced in stages since 2024 and fully rolled out at the start of the autumn semester - have reduced much of the foreign culture content found in older editions as Beijing seeks to align education more closely with national priorities, including boosting patriotism and China's overseas image. While some parents and educators applaud the changes, claiming they will increase students' cultural confidence, others worry it may limit children's exposure to the wider world and weaken their English skills.

The push to integrate Chinese cultural content into English courses has been a growing trend, according to state news agency Xinhua. The revisions are evident across primary and middle-school textbooks, with lessons emphasizing traditional festivals, historical figures, archaeological discoveries, and modern developments in China's economy, society, and technology.

Textbooks also introduce contemporary government policies, such as the "new socialist countryside" and the goal of building a "community of a shared future for mankind". One veteran English teacher expressed satisfaction, stating that learning a language is about more than just the language itself; it's about learning how to use it to interact with the world.

However, others question whether the shift has gone too far, arguing that the textbooks now contain too much Chinese culture, ideological content, and local elements. They argue that while building confidence in Chinese culture is a good thing, language learning should also involve engaging with other cultures and ways of thinking.

Critics contend that the new textbooks risk turning English lessons into "exercises in translating Chinese culture into English", undermining the purpose of learning a foreign language.