Another significant historical factor that influenced the Chinese higher education system was the Cultural Revolution. The Revolution took place after Chinese higher educational institutions experienced a boom in development during the first half of the twentieth century. However, the Revolution\u2019s dramatic social and political changes stifled the improvement of education from 1966 to 1976. University enrollment decreased from 674,400 in 1965 to 47,000 in 1970 (Min, 62). Universities had to shut down because there were no students entering the schools for more than four years. The influence of the traditional Chinese school system, Western models, as well as Soviet models were all neglected by the Revolution. The extensive damage on the higher education system done by the Cultural Revolution took years to recover from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China expanded the enrollment of universities in order to enlarge its educated population, which led to mass expansion and development of the higher education system after the Cultural Revolution. The system, as Martin Trow has defined, is \u201cwhen over 15 percent of the age grade have access to higher education\u201d (Bai, 128). The Chinese government realized that an educated populace is the driving factor of the development of science and technology, which leads to economic growth. Therefore, the government established policies to increase the pace of higher education expansion which increased student enrollment to universities. University enrollment increased from 1.08 million in 1998 to 1.59 million in 1999, an increase of 47.4 percent (Bai, 30). Besides expanding the enrollment of Chinese universities, the Chinese government also established the 985 Program and the 211 Project, which were intended to create world-class universities in China and \u201caim[ed] at strengthening about 100 institutions and key disciplines as a national priority\u201d (Alexander, 11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The mass higher education system promotes equal education opportunities for individuals, but many problems have occurred because of the expansion of enrollments. As Chen mentions in his article, \u201cSuch sudden increases in student enrollments brings about sudden constraints of resources\u201d (Chen, 25). School facilities are overloaded by the large student population, and the conditions of living and studying have worsened due to the widening student body. Another problem of the mass higher education system is that while the number of students enrolling in college increased, the unemployment rate among college graduates has been increasing as well. \u201cIn 2008 about 30% (more than a million) of university graduates were unable to secure employment at the end of study (M.Zhou & Lin, 2009)\u201d (Cai, 34).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, the rapid growth of the economy and development of science and technology created a rising new middle class in China. Jing Lin defined the middle class in the article as a \u201cgroup with financial assets, skills, and education, they can even become a stabilizing force for a developing society.\u201d They have \u201ca distinct lifestyle and access to certain goods and services\u201d (Lin, 181). The newly developed social class plays a big role in the evolution of the higher education system. Middle class families see the problems of the higher education system, and are willing to invest in education. This led to a trend of sending teenagers to developed countries starting in the early 2000s. In the past 10 years, the study abroad population increased dramatically. Studying abroad is considered a way to get high quality higher education without participating in the problematic college entry test: Gao Kao. Moreover, upper middle class families in China believe a Bachelor\u2019s degree or a Master\u2019s degree from developed countries would create more high-paying job opportunities for their children. The returning students, who have studied abroad, are considered more capable by the Chinese society because they are able to complete their studies in a foreign language, and at the same time develop high cognitive skills as a result of a more developed educational environment. Thus, this population gains more social and economic capital in Chinese society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"20144914393886264\"](\"https:\/\/cclotus.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/01\/20144914393886264.jpg?w=1086\")
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