Chinese academic traditions take zuo ren-self-fulfillment in terms of
moral cultivation-as the ultimate goal of education. To many in
contemporary China, however, the nation seems gripped by moral decay,
the result of rapid and profound social change over the course of the
twentieth century. Placing Chinese children, alternately seen as China's
greatest hope and derided as self-centered "little emperors," at the
center of her analysis, Jing Xu investigates the effects of these
transformations on the moral development of the nation's youngest
generation.
The Good Child examines preschool-aged children in Shanghai, tracing
how Chinese socialization beliefs and methods influence their
construction of a moral world. Delving into the growing pains of an
increasingly competitive and changing educational environment, Xu
documents the confusion, struggles, and anxieties of today's parents,
educators, and grandparents, as well as the striking creativity of their
children in shaping their own moral practices. Her innovative blend of
anthropology and psychology reveals the interplay of their dialogues and
debates, illuminating how young children's nascent moral dispositions
are selected, expressed or repressed, and modulated in daily
experiences.
