This book provides an up-to-date account of relevant early childhood policy and practice in five Chinese societies: the People’s Republic of China or Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, and Taiwan.

1. Introduction; Nirmala Rao and Jin Sun.- Part I Understanding Early Childhood Education in Chinese Societies.- 2. Growing up in Chinese Families and Societies; Jin Sun and Nirmala Rao.- 3. Chinese Culture in Early Educational Environments; Grace Choy.- Part II Early Childhood Education in the People’s Republic of China.- 4. An Overview of Early Childhood Education in the People’s Republic China; Xiao-xia Feng.- 5. Trends in Government Expenditure in Early Childhood Education in China: Practices in Shanghai, Guizhou, and Ningshan; Jing Zhou, Jin Sun and Diana Pei Ling Lee.- 6. Early Childhood Teacher Education in China; Yong Jiang, Li-juan Pang and Jin Sun.- 7. Early Childhood Curriculum Development in China; Yong-ping Yu.- 8.     Early Childhood Education in Economically Disadvantaged Rural Areas of China; Li Zhang and Qian Liu.- 9. Responding to Emergencies: Early Childhood Programs after the SichuanEarthquake; Si Chen, Jing Zhou and Li Zhang.- Part III Early Childhood Education in Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore and Taiwan.- 10. Early Childhood Education in Hong Kong: Progress, Challenges and Opportunities; Sharon Sui Ngan Ng, Jin Sun, Carrie Lau and Nirmala Rao.- 11. Early Childhood Education in Macao: Recent Developments and Trends; Keang-Ieng Vong and Sou Kuan Vong.- 12. Governmentality of Early Childhood Education in Singapore: Contemporary Issues; May Yin Sirene Lim and Audrey Lim.- 13. Early Childhood Education in Taiwan; Eva E. Chen and Hui Li.- Part IV Learning from and for Chinese Early Childhood Education.- 14. International Perspectives on Early Childhood Education in the PRC, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; Hui Li and X. Christine Wang.- 15. Conclusions: Similarities and Distinctions in Early Childhood Education in Chinese Societies; Nirmala Rao and Jin Sun.- Index.  

This book provides an up-to-date account of relevant early childhood policy and practice in five Chinese societies: the People’s Republic of China or Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, and Taiwan. It analyses how traditional Chinese values, Eastern and Western curricular approaches, and socio-political, economic, cultural and demographic changes influence current policies, services and practice. It addresses responses to global concerns about the excluded and disadvantaged, and about quality, and explains lessons from and for Chinese early childhood education. This book is the first English-language research-based review of early childhood education and the factors that affect it in different Chinese societies. It is particularly timely given the increased recognition of the importance of early childhood education for human capital development globally, and the international interest in understanding early education in Chinese societies.

Addresses the relationships between Chinese cultural values, early childhood policy and practice Critically discusses the influence of worldwide changes on early childhood education in Chinese societies Provides a comparatively holistic picture of early childhood education in Chinese societies Has implications for early childhood education in greater China and further afar