Learning is a state thing – at least in China. A new school subject is intended to teach elementary schoolchildren the “love of the fatherland”. Critics speak of “brainwashing”
China’s almost 300 million students have been learning the ideology of state and party leader Xi Jinping of a strong China and the leadership of the all-powerful Communist Party since Wednesday. “Xi Jinping’s Thoughts on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” was added to the curriculum at the start of school. The Ministry of Education was quoted as saying that it should help young people “to build faith in Marxism and to strengthen confidence in the path, theory, system and culture of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
Primary schools should concentrate on “cultivating the love for the fatherland, the Communist Party and socialism,” reported the Global Times, which is published by the party organ “People’s Daily”. In the middle schools, young people should be helped with the knowledge to formulate basic political opinions, while in the universities the focus is more on theory, it said. The new teaching content is part of the increasing ideologization and personality cult around Xi Jinping.
Anecdotes from the life of the Chinese ruler
In 2018, the Chinese state government enshrined “Xi Jinping’s ideas” in the constitution. Since then, official bodies in particular had recited heroic quotes from the head of state. Now they are being passed on to the youngest in society. New school books, the covers of which adorn the face of the Chinese ruler and his quote, are intended to bring elementary school children closer to the achievements of Chinese civilization and the Communist Party.
As reported by the British media, among others, the lessons are filled with anecdotes about Xi Jinping and his encounters with the people. Schoolbooks for higher grades contained more complex topics about China’s achievements in space travel and the story of China’s evolution into a “modern socialist superpower”.
Anonymous criticism on social networks
Critics spoke of “brainwashing” and trying to influence the next generation and secure support for the party and Xi Jinping. It is about topics like “There would be no new China without the Communist Party” or “It is every citizen’s duty to protect national security” or “We follow the Communist Party with all our hearts”. The concern of “Grandfather Xi” for the Chinese people is also emphasized.
As the British “Guardian” reported, anonymous critics also speak out on social media. “Can we withstand that?” Asks an anonymous user on the Weibo platform. According to a report in the Financial Times, there is also protest among parents. “I hate the idea of children being forced to study ideologies,” the mother of a ten-year-old high school student in Jiangsu Province told the paper. One father describes the new school subject as “disgusting”. He can hope that his daughter will forget what she has learned after the exams.
Georgia Technical College international affairs expert Wan Fei-Ling told the Guardian that the textbooks are an example of how the Communist Party promotes the personality cult of a leader with Maoist features. For many students the lessons could be rather boring, others would not take it seriously at best.
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