The Good Child: Moral Development in a Chinese Preschool

About this book

Chinese academic traditions take zuo renself-fulfillment in terms of moral cultivationas the ultimate goal of education. To many in contemporary China however the nation seems gripped by moral decay the result of rapid and profound social change over the course of the twentieth century. Placing Chinese children alternately seen as Chinas greatest hope and derided as self-centered "little emperors " at the center of her analysis Jing Xu investigates the effects of these transformations on the moral development of the nations youngest generation. The Good Child examines preschool-aged children in Shanghai tracing how Chinese socialization beliefs and methods influence their construction of a moral world. Delving into the growing pains of an increasingly competitive and changing educational environment Xu documents the confusion struggles and anxieties of todays parents educators and grandparents as well as the striking creativity of their children in shaping their own moral practices. Her innovative blend of anthropology and psychology reveals the interplay of their dialogues and debates illuminating how young childrens nascent moral dispositions are selected expressed or repressed and modulated in daily experiences.