Gaokao reforms could leave Chinese public vulnerable to pseudo-history, top academic warns

An academic at a top Chinese university has raised concerns that a declining interest in history among secondary school students could leave the public susceptible to distorted historical narratives. Liu Linhai, dean of the school of history at Beijing Normal University, warned that history is being marginalized as an exam subject.

In a commentary published in the state-backed China Teacher Paper, Liu emphasized that history education is crucial for preserving historical, cultural, ethnic, and national identity. He urged policymakers to take "coordinated and effective measures" to address the "structural problems" affecting the subject, calling the current weakening of history education a matter of "urgent concern."

Liu's caution comes as Beijing intensifies its efforts to combat "historical nihilism," the official term for narratives that challenge or undermine the government's established historical accounts. This includes countering pseudo-history, such as claims that Ancient Greece never existed.

Authorities have shown increasing alertness to challenges to the orthodox view of China's history. Recently, a newspaper affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences published articles framing pseudo-history as a "new variant" of historical nihilism, highlighting the state's concern over alternative historical interpretations.

“

History education in secondary schools is an important means of preserving historical, cultural, ethnic and national identity. Its current weakening and even marginalisation should be a matter of urgent concern for policymakers, who should take coordinated and effective measures to address the structural problems affecting the subject.