Here is a guide to education in China as it stands today.

We all know that both the government and economic approaches of China are based on the communist way of thinking. While foreign to most Westerners (in fact, to most everyone else in the world), the communist way of life has been the basis for much of China’s current ways of living. While this type of government definitely affects how the population of China lives, it also affects some other important aspects of the country. One way that this can be seen is in the education of people in China.

The education approach in China might be seen by some (especially those in the United States and Europe) as being short. China only requires that each child has nine years of formal education – this is far less than the amount of schooling that is seen in other countries, such as the 13 years in the US and 14 years in Canada. The types of schooling offered in China are broken into three areas: basic education, higher education and adult education. Basic education starts with preschool or kindergarten, which lasts longer than it does in the US, with children entering this schooling program at around age three, and staying in preschool until the age of six. At age six, children enter primary education (elementary school). After completing elementary school, kids are then put into one of two types of secondary education: either academic (preparing the students for higher education) or vocational secondary education which prepares the students for work.

China does also offer higher education. Students who attend college have the choice of going to a short-cycle school (two to three years, equivalent to an associates’ degree), or a regular college which lasts three to four years and can end in a bachelor’s degree. Masters and PhD programs are also available. Finally, adult education (which also falls partially under higher education) offers programs such as Peasants’ Primary Schools, Workers’ Primary Schools and literacy training. These types of adult education are aimed at adults that may not have gone through any formal schooling in their childhood – and they also include places such as correspondence colleges and specialized schools for different industries and jobs.

The education platform in China is well organized, and while not exactly like schools found in the US, definitely rivals the schooling found in the rest of the (non-communist) world. Both adults and children are able to educate themselves to further their careers and working life.

The history of Chinese dancing can be traced back to the images on a pottery that aged about 4500 years ago. The common movements in the Chinese dance include stamping feet and locking arm. The Chinese dances are performed in accordance with the musical instrument.

In the Book of Songs, there is an entry about the dance festivals that are performed during the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou dynasty lasted from 1100 B.C. to 221 B.C. The Chinese legend claims that the harpoon dance was taught by the hero Fu Xo. The Dance of the Cloud Gate was originally performed to pay tribute to the Yellow Emperor who ruled during the 26th century.

During the Han dynasty, large dancing groups are formed. The male dancing group consists of 16 boys that act as if they are performing farming chores. The male dancers are accompanies by 300 girls. In Chinese dancing, the women will dance with their long sleeves. Some women dancer will move the scarves in their hand as they dance.

During the Tang dynasty, the dance incorporates movements taken from other countries such as Korea and Japan. The Academy of the Pear Garden used to be a dancing school that trained hundreds of men and women. Many poets that survive in the Tang dynasty describe the dance as the dance of rainbow skirt.
Foot binding was practiced after the Tang dynasty. The women dancers are forced to dance with bound feet. The binding of the foot cause the women to feel pain and hard to walk. Foot binding dances are performed during the Yuan and Qing dynasties.

Western styles were incorporated into the Chinese dances in the 1800s. In 1800s, many Europeans came to China to carry out the trading of goods.

The pantomime dances are formed in the 600 A.D. This was fist performed at the dynastic courts. In pantomime dance, the Chinese dancers will cover their face with masks. Some Chinese dancers will paint their face before performing the pantomime dance.

During the communist Era, the Chinese people performed the Yang Ge dance to celebrate their victories. The Yang Ge dance is performed by children in long lines on the streets in China. Soon, Yang ge dance was spread to other countries. Yang ge dance has connection with the Communist victories.

Today, the Chinese dances incorporate elements of the Chinese traditional dance and modern dance techniques. The modern Chinese dances were developed in the 1970.