Reading, Writing and Xi Jinping Thought: China’s Students Learn Leader’s Philosophy - Wall Street Journal

Reading, Writing and Xi Jinping Thought: China’s Students Learn Leader’s Philosophy
Universities and high schools promote the study of newly enshrined doctrine
Students at Peking University can now study the political philosophy of their country’s leader, Xi Jinping. Above, a scene from the commencement ceremony in July. SHEN BOHAN/XINHUA/ZUMA PRESS

By Te-Ping Chen
March 23, 2018 5:30 a.m. ET

BEIJING—While President Xi Jinping extends his influence over the Chinese government, his signature political philosophy is becoming standard fare in the country’s classrooms.

Dozens of universities have founded centers devoted to studying the doctrine known as Xi Jinping Thought since October, when the Communist Party inscribed it in its charter alongside Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory.

The Xi Effect
Producing scholarly works about the Chinesepresident's thinking and policies has become aboom industry.
Published academic articles with 'Xi Jinping'in the title
Source: China Knowledge Resource IntegratedDatabase
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2,500
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In the fall, high-school students will be required to take lessons in Mr. Xi’s philosophy, according to the Ministry of Education.

Alongside changes that consolidate power with the president and allow him to rule indefinitely, the curriculum revamp is another step toward installing Mr. Xi as a guiding light in the Communist Party’s pantheon.

The Chinese government has been pushing patriotic education in its classrooms since after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests. For millions of Chinese students, that has meant hours spent memorizing dry political theory such as former leader Jiang Zemin’s Three Represents and Mao’s thinking on agrarian socialism.

Under Mr. Xi, Beijing has pushed to make such topics more palatable, urging professors to adopt a livelier instruction style.

Five years into his tenure, the government is claiming success.

Last year, the Education Ministry sent experts to listen in on ideology classes at 2,500 universities and surveyed 30,000 students. The conclusion: the vast majority of students found the classes edifying, Education Minister Chen Baosheng told a recent press conference.

“Some schools’ ideology classes are now as hard to get into as nabbing a high-speed rail ticket during the Lunar New Year,” he said.

It is difficult to ascertain the accuracy of such polls amid a current climate of zeal surrounding Mr. Xi, in which state media has aired minutes-long footage of people clapping for him on the nightly news and those voicing contrary views can face swift discipline.

Images of Xi Jinping are ubiquitous in Chinese state media and on streets such as this one in Beijing in February.
Images of Xi Jinping are ubiquitous in Chinese state media and on streets such as this one in Beijing in February. PHOTO: GREG BAKER/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES
Xi Jinping Thought is a 14-point theory that emphasizes the party’s “people-centric” approach to governance, as well as its supreme leadership over everything in China. Enthusiasm for studying it has been mixed. Beijing’s prestigious Peking University this month scrapped an undergraduate course on Xi Jinping Thought, citing insufficient interest, according to cancellation notices reviewed by The Wall Street Journal and a student who had signed up for the class.

Only about half a dozen students had registered, with 350 seats available, according to information on a university web portal. Neither Peking University nor the professor in charge of the course responded to requests for comment.

For students, the new emphasis on Mr. Xi’s ideology adds to already burdensome set of political requirements.

One third-year student at Peking University said she already had to memorize a lengthy report Mr. Xi delivered during the fall party congress for a mandatory Marxism class and wasn’t interested in taking on another course on the leader’s philosophy.

Another Beijing undergraduate called the ideology requirement “stupid”—but said such classes have become more engaging, with debates and use of multimedia such as opera performances and student-made videos. State media has also touted other efforts, including rap music devoted to Marx and virtual-reality simulations of the Long March.

Beijing’s prestigious Peking University—one campus building is shown here in 2016—canceled a course on Xi Jinping Thought this month, citing insufficient interest.
Beijing’s prestigious Peking University—one campus building is shown here in 2016—canceled a course on Xi Jinping Thought this month, citing insufficient interest. PHOTO: THOMAS PETER/REUTERS
Not all ideology study is as overtly political as Mao Zedong theory; some classes focus on topics such as history and law. “Some classes are dull and you just have to memorize, but others aren’t bad,” a Beijing student said. “It depends on the teacher.”

At the same time, professors need to stick to the party line, with punishments meted out to those who stray.

Well-known writer Chen Xiwo was demoted from his position as professor at Fujian Normal University this month because of his “political criticism,” according to his Hong Kong-based publisher, Harvey Thomlinson. Mr. Chen declined to comment, as did the school, which cited privacy concerns.

Cheng Ran, a university instructor in Hunan province, was disciplined for making comments that defamed the party and the country’s leaders, according to a provincial committee notice posted in February. Mr. Cheng couldn’t be reached for comment.

The education minister is exhorting schools to do more to integrate political education across the curriculum, as he heeds a call by Mr. Xi to turn Chinese universities into Communist Party strongholds. At a conference later this year, universities will be asked to demonstrate how they are showcasing Mr. Xi’s thinking in their classrooms.

Xi Jinping Clear to Rule Indefinitely as China Scraps Presidential Term Limits (March 11, 2018)
China Steps Up Ideology Drive on College Campuses (Sept. 25, 2017)
Three Wise Men: Xi Seeks to Join Mao and Deng in China’s ‘Holy Scripture’ (Oct. 20, 2017)
China Economy Draws More Students Back From Abroad (March 1, 2017)
Mr. Xi’s influence extends further into academia: The number of scholarly articles with “Xi Jinping” in their title increased by more than 30% last year, according to the China Knowledge Resource Integrated Database.

Renmin University education professor Cheng Fangping said a broader political emphasis across disciplines could help inspire a sense of pride in Chinese achievement, such as the contributions of scientists such as 2015 Nobel Laureate Tu Youyou. That would help answer Mr. Xi’s call to raise Chinese cultural confidence, he said.

Still, such a focus shouldn’t be excessive, he said: “We can’t destroy the study of different majors by making everything a political class.”

—Chun Han Wong and Kersten Zhang contributed to this article.