Education reform facilitating innovation

Over the past 40 years, countless photographs have captured the milestones of China's reform and opening-up. Some are regarded today as national treasures, others are on display in old family photo albums. After late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping resumed the national college entrance exam in 1977 and led the economic reform, leaders of the Communist Party of China realized education is the foundation of the "Four Modernizations" - the goal set by Deng to upgrade agriculture, industry, science and technology, and national defense.

Deng advanced the "Four Modernizations" to better position China's future, putting emphasis on profitable achievements. Four decades ago, academic degrees were awarded in only limited subjects because China was basically an agrarian economy. But the economic reform aimed at building an industrial society dynamically influenced occupations across the board. It enriched and diversified Chinese culture, fueling social desire for change and laying the base for China's rise on the global stage.

In their quest to build a flawless education system, both Eastern and Western economies have struggled to find the right direction. Successive US administrations have tried to fix their education system for decades to ensure all the schools turn into elite academic institutions, but achieved only limited success.