Examines the historical development of work-study programs from the early days of communist government to current practices in China. Traditional Chinese culture separated mental and manual labor according to Confucian edicts. After a slow start, work-study was integrated into the national curriculum in the late 1950s. (MJP)

Field research was conducted to identify and examine the most recent trends in vocational and technical education during the Chinese Post-Cultural Revolution years of 1976-1981. Prior to the Revolution more than half of the middle school students participated in skill training before graduation. All such programs were abolished during the…