In China, few social arenas change as quickly and dramatically as education. Over the past decade, new university models have emerged, digital learning companies have risen and fallen, and national reforms have reshaped how millions of families navigate academic competition. It is within this landscape that Prof. Fangsheng Zhu, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Duke Kunshan University and a member of the Governing China Cluster at the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, conducts his research. We interviewed Prof. Zhu to learn more about his findings in two CSCC-funded projects: “The Rise and Fall of China’s EdTech Industry” (Faculty Research and Creative Activity Grant) and “China’s Education Industry after the Double Reduction Policy” (Faculty–Student Collaborative Research Project Grant).

The Double Reduction Policy (双减) was introduced by China’s Ministry of Education in 2021. Its goal was to reduce the academic pressure on primary and middle school students by banning after-school academic tutoring for grades one through nine. Before this reform, tutoring was a massive industry. Some of the largest education companies in the world were Chinese, many listed on the U.S. stock market. Read More