The traditional Chinese language held no term corresponding to the western idea of democracy. In the Confucian tradition the emphasis was entirely on people's obligations to society and the country, not on rights. The idea of democracy was brought to China early in the 20th century. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, founder of Chinese "bourgeois democracy," put forward the three principles that became the core of the basic content of civic and moral education in schools during the Nationalist period. These principles, adapted from Abraham Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," were nationalism, democracy, and people's livelihood. The Communist victory in 1949 led to the formation of The People's Republic of China which believed in the class struggle as well as rapid industrial development. The core of Mao Tse-tung's version of civic education was loyalty to Mao. The Chinese leadership after 1978 realized that the development of a market economy and political and legal systems that attend a market economy requires democratic and law-related education. In 1988 objectives, still current in Chinese schools, were devised for the moral education of all students. But frequent political campaigns and ideological debates have greatly influenced official civic and moral education policies. Currently, the education of a fully competent citizen requires training in critical and creative thinking. Also, more emphasis is placed on patriotic education as a part of civic and moral education. A national system of village elections is in progress. The transition to a democratic and law-governed society requires consciousness of citizenship and a knowledge of democracy on the part of the individual. Contains 11 references. (BT)