The Chinese authorities have added Charlotte Brontë’s 1847 novel Jane Eyre to the compulsory reading list for 9th-grade students starting this autumn. Students will read the work in its entirety; the novel had previously been recommended.
The work, which is popular in China, stands out for its themes of gender equality and independence. The novel, whose first Chinese translation was published in 1925, has also been adapted for the stage and screen.
Professor Ping Zhu of the University of California said the work is compatible with the government’s understanding of gender equality, which can coexist with traditional gender roles. Zhu said the decision coincided with policies encouraging young people to marry and have children in response to the declining population.
The novel tells the love story of the orphaned Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, the owner of the estate where she works as a governess. The Global Times defended the decision as a success in cultural exchange.
Why it matters
The novel’s elevated status in the curriculum shows that literary selection in China can also be linked to social and political goals. While Jane Eyre’s themes of women’s independence and gender equality are being aligned with the government’s understanding of equality, it is also being emphasized that this approach can coexist with traditional gender roles. For this reason, the development raises the question, for those following education policies and population policies encouraging young people to marry and have children, of how a cultural choice is being brought into line with these goals. Presenting the decision as a success in cultural exchange strengthens the position in official education of a work that has long been known in China and adapted into different fields. However, it remains unclear how compulsory reading will affect students’ interpretation of the novel and its gender themes.