Education has come a long way since the days of Mao Zedong and the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) when teachers were at the bottom of the social scale on the basis of the then current maxim: "The more knowledge you have, the more counterrevolutionary you are." Today students throughout the country hold their teachers in the highest respect.

Higher education almost ground to a halt during the "Cultural Revolution." The Chinese Government has given priority to education and has achieved remarkable results over the last 20 years. Last year alone Chinese colleges and universities enrolled 1 million students, 1.5 times as many as in 1978 when the system of national entrance examinations for colleges and universities were reinstated. Colleges and Universities in China have trained 9,100,000 students over the last 20 years. That comes to an average of 455,000 for each year. That is not much for a nation of 1,200,000,000 people. But it is great achievement for a burgeoning nation trying to achieve parity in this modern global world.

China's reform policy have also speeded up the spread of education in poor and remote areas. Nationwide, 99% of Chinese children attend primary schools. In 1989, China launched two ambitious projects, "The Hope Project," and the "Spring Bud Project." These two projects have helped 1,850,000 dropouts return to their classrooms. These projects help children, especially girls, in poor areas to attend school.