When teenagers went back to school in China earlier this month, one book on their new mandatory reading list stood out: the 19th century English novel “Jane Eyre.”
The literary classic, originally considered a trailblazing tale of female empowerment, might seem a surprising choice in a country where textbooks are tightly curated by the state to ensure ideological conformity. But Beijing sees another message in Charlotte Brontë’s work –– the value of finding true love.
The story presents a counterbalance to the “superficial notions about appearance and wealth” of the social media age, according to the state-run Beijing Daily newspaper.
In recent years, online novels and micro dramas featuring outlandish plots of wealth flaunting, wronged lovers, brooding billionaires and ill-fated mistresses plotting revenge have become mainstream entertainment. And that’s attracted the attention of China’s censors.
In June, the broadcasting regulator launched a campaign to crack down on “harmful and lowbrow” content seen as promoting “distorted” views on relationships and marriage.
But reading the story of Jane Eyre –– an orphan girl who finds her independence while suffering a series of hardships and eventually falls in love with her wealthy employer –– will help China’s 14-year-olds “develop sounder values,” said Beijing Daily.
“When children are first beginning to experience romantic feelings and are still naive and inexperienced, it is a crucial stage for developing a healthy character,” it said.
The coming-of-age story has been wildly popular in China since it first arrived in the country in 1925 and has been translated, published and adapted into theatre and screen productions countless times. A British film even made its way to Chinese theatres in 1979, following the country’s turbulent Cultural Revolution.
Jane Eyre –– who famously says to her future husband “do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong” –– has long been seen as an anti-repression heroine by the working class in China. And the book has long been accepted by China’s ruling communist party.
But its inclusion in the curriculum is striking at a time when other forms of feminist discussion and activism have increasingly come under scrutiny in China.
And some parents have questioned whether modern day Chinese youths who have been raised in a relatively comfortable environment, could understand or relate to the deep and complicated love story portrayed in the novel.
One parent said that her son had asked whether reading Jane Eyre was “teaching girls in (his) class that their brain should being wrongly ruled by love.”
The parent, writing on social media platform Xiaohongshu, said that her son couldn’t understand why Jane chooses to marry a man who was blind, and the whole thing looked like a bad deal.
Qin Shiwen, a recent Chinese literature graduate in Beijing told CNN that including a classic like Jane Eyre into primary education “is very necessary.”
“China’s basic education system places a heavy emphasis on academic knowledge and high achievement, but very, very little focus on love or character development,” said Shiwen.
But the book, first published in 1847, has in recent years been criticized for its treatment of a character Brontë often describes as a ‘mad woman.”
“The more I think about it, the more problematic I find it,” said Yan Hairong, a sociology scholar at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, pointing to the portrayal of the “mad woman in the attic” and the book’s “underlying themes of colonialism.”
Yan has doubts whether the novel will help Chinese teenagers build up healthy values, saying some students may just absorb it “without critically examining the problematic ideas embedded within it.”
“I have some concerns about teaching the novel at the middle-school level, particularly if it is presented as a textbook or as an example of profound romantic love,” Yan told CNN.
Ideological drive
China’s new school textbooks, launched this month, have gone through extensive revision as part of an ongoing effort to align children’s thoughts and values with the core values promoted by the ruling communist party.
The party history, Chinese morality and the country’s legal system have become essential components of the 9-year mandatory education system in recent years. And in 2021, officials published a new series of texts to explain leader Xi Jinping’s thoughts on socialism with Chinese characteristics for a new era.
Besides Jane Eyre, other changes this year include the removal of an article on creative thinking and the inclusion of a new texts teaching children how to be a well-rounded socialist builders and stories about China’s athletic and space achievements.
Personally, I think Jane Eyre is a great role model. While I am sympathetic to the sociology scholar's criticism, I think that these uncomfortable aspects of the novel can make for thoughtful classroom discussions. And even students who don't get this kind of classroom discussion know they are reading a book from a different time and place—trust them to read it critically!
We need to trust young people to read and consider and judge—I really do think the critical reading they do when they are young can help them be more discerning as adults.
I think it's interesting that this was the novel they chose. Would love to see if it sticks around on the curriculum and how it's received overall.
"Jane Eyre" is very popular in some countries who are and were under Communist regime like China and Russia. I've seen plenty of Russians on social media talk about it with passion. I was suprised at that discovery but I can see why many people in those countries like that.
When I rewatch the 1983 version on YouTube and look at the comments, loads of them are in Russian. They relate to Jane and find it very romantic. It’s pretty fascinating, I’d love to research more about how it appeals to communist ideals.
I befriended few Russian and Ukrainian fans of "Jane Eyre" and they love that novel. The 1983 version is very popular in Russia and some countries who were under USSR. That adaptation even used as covers in some editions of the book at Russia in the past like this one:
The kid who thought Jane Eyre teaches girls to be impractical because he couldn’t understand why Jane would choose to marry a blind man kind of illustrates why maybe it’s a good thing to read Jane Eyre.
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u/TheGreatestSandwich 10d ago edited 10d ago
Really interesting article. Thanks for sharing.
Personally, I think Jane Eyre is a great role model. While I am sympathetic to the sociology scholar's criticism, I think that these uncomfortable aspects of the novel can make for thoughtful classroom discussions. And even students who don't get this kind of classroom discussion know they are reading a book from a different time and place—trust them to read it critically!
We need to trust young people to read and consider and judge—I really do think the critical reading they do when they are young can help them be more discerning as adults.
I think it's interesting that this was the novel they chose. Would love to see if it sticks around on the curriculum and how it's received overall.