Ten reasons why neo-Aristotelian character education is not popular in China

This paper offers theoretical-cum-practical analyses and reflections on neo-Aristotelian character education, which has gained considerable momentum and popularity in the Western moral education arena in the last 15 years, yet is not attracting much interest in Chinese academia. Based on a literature review of some of the most representative works of neo-Aristotelian character education, such as those of the Jubilee Centre, in combination with the authors’ observations and reflections on Chinese moral education, this paper presents ten possible reasons to explain the ‘unpopularity’ of neo-Aristotelian character education in China. Five out of the ten reasons are theoretical, including the misalignments of educational goals, educational content, virtue thinking styles, expectations/assumptions of moral development and conceptual issues; two reasons are mostly practical, including educational strategies and practical challenges regarding the actualisation and prioritisation of moral education in schools. We also mention one general language-barrier reason, one cultural reason and one disciplinary reason.