Middle Education in the Middle Kingdom: The Chinese Junior High School in Modern Taiwan (review)

552 China Review International: Vol. 5, No. 2, Fall 1998 The text of Chinese Opera: Stories and Images will no doubt disappoint some China scholars for its few academic weaknesses. In that Siu and Lovrick's stated audience is the non-expert, the text should not be judged according to the same standards that more academic texts are. As an Asian theater educator, I am more than willing to overlook the publication's few negative aspects in light of the tremendous potential long-term value of this work in helping to expose people to and educate them about a great performance tradition. The thought that this book might one day occupy the tops of coffee tables around the world is just too delightful. Susan Pertel Jain Connecticut College Susan Pertel Jain is an associate editor of the Asian Theatre Journal, teaches in the Department ofChinese at Connecticut College, and is Program Director ofHua Kun Opera, a Los Angeles-based Chinese opera organization. Douglas C. Smith. Middle Education in the Middle Kingdom: The Chinese Junior High School in Modern Taiwan. Westport, Connecticut: Praeger, 1997, xi-xiv, 176 pp. Hardcover, $49.95, isbn 0-275-95641-5. For many years, the study of education in Taiwan has been an important field of inquiry that has been neglected by Western scholars, as they have directed their focus to the People's Republic of China. Given the rapid degree ofpolitical, social , and economic change that has occurred on the Mainland, coupled with its regional ascendance as a major power, it is understandable that educational reform in the People's Republic would command global attention. With expanded access to field sites that has allowed for enhanced data collection and regional study, along with increased collaborative research between Chinese and Western scholars. However, the politics of access have contributed to a heightened focus on Mainland education to die detriment of the Taiwan context. This is unfortunate , for the Taiwan case has a great deal to teach us about the relationships between education and economic development, political socialization, and equality 1998 by University ofopportun^ ^n addition, it is quite likely that policymakers onboth sides of the Taiwan Straits watch each other and adapt and borrow from one another. In order to understand clearly the context in which policy changes have occurred in the People's Republic, it is imperative that Taiwan precedents be considered as ofHawai'i Press Reviews 553 significant factors that have influenced Mainland planning and policy directives. Yet the comparative work that would systematically address these issues is lacking . For this reason alone, the publication ofa volume such as Middle Education in the Middle Kingdom, in spite ofits slim size, would seem to hold inherent promise. Unfortunately, the author fails to capitalize on that promise, and his product is profoundly disappointing. Douglas Smitii spent eight weeks in Taiwan conducting thirty-five interviews with education officials during his stay. Middle Education in theMiddle Kingdom is die result ofthis effort, and as such, die autiior unconsciously tells his readership more about the dangers ofconducting superficial comparative inquiry than he does about his immediate subject. Smith's argument is that middle or junior high school education in Taiwan is a metaphor for Confucian education in all of its variants, throughout East Asia. He devotes die first halfof the book to what he calls "Theoretical Dimensions: The Chinese Junior High School in Modern Taiwan ," which is an extremely broad summary ofConfucian principles that is so general and stereotypical in scope that it adds little to our understanding oftraditional Chinese education. The second section of the book, "Operational Framework : The Chinese Junior High School in Modern Taiwan," is only slighdy more focused. Here the author offers his conclusions concerning pedagogy (it remains traditional and teacher centered), political socialization (group conformity is encouraged , as is respect for family), examinations (examination pressure is intense with regard to both entry into elite middle schools and acceptance into elite high schools), and curriculum (it remains highly academic and examination driven). Although die author expresses some personal reservation with regard to die competitive pressures for advancement witiiin the Taiwan educational system, most of his conclusions are laudatory and uncritical. Relying heavily upon secondary sources...