The Dream Chasers: Selected Poems about Education
Zhu Yongxin is one of China’s most influential education thinkers. As the founder of the “New Education Experiment” movement — which has been adopted by over 1,500 schools across China — he has dedicated his life to restoring the richness and completeness of human nature through schooling. A distinguished professor at Soochow University, a former deputy mayor of Suzhou, and the current Vice Chairman of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), Zhu Yongxin is also a prolific writer whose works have been translated into more than 28 languages, including English, Japanese, and Korean. This bilingual edition, Chasing Dreams, offers English-speaking readers an intimate and inspiring window into the heart of Zhu’s educational philosophy.
What makes this collection unique is its format. The book gathers over one hundred prefaces and postscripts written by Zhu Yongxin for other authors — friends, students, and fellow educators — over several decades. These are not detached academic essays; rather, they are spontaneous, heartfelt texts often written at the request of a friend or publisher, or simply because Zhu was deeply moved by someone’s work or character. Within these short pieces, the reader discovers a wide array of themes: the importance of children’s literature, the artistry of teaching, the power of reading, and the urgent need to reform China’s examination system. Each preface or postscript is a gem of warmth, sincerity, and intellectual clarity.
A central thread running through the collection is Zhu’s core belief that the purpose of education is to help both teachers and students lead “a happy and complete life”. In an age where education is increasingly reduced to test scores, competition, and economic utility, this book is a powerful reminder of education’s deeper, more human dimension. The Poetics of Education is essential reading for anyone — educators, policymakers, parents, and students alike — who seeks to understand the soul of modern educational reform in China and the vision of one of its most passionate and influential advocates.