Art in a Million Schools: Art Education in China

There is a dichotomy in Chinese art education. On the one hand the authorities take for granted that the purpose of the national curriculum is to foster patriotism, morality and socialism; on the other hand art educators try to enlarge children’s vision and encourage them to create according to their imagination. Chinese art teachers seem to have dealt with this dilemma by preparing and presenting their lessons in the official format whilst allowing art itself to work inwardly on the children.