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Across China, education authorities and cultural institutions are putting new weight behind “the classics,” from ancient Chinese texts to poetry recitation and classical arts.
Recent moves include revised school textbooks with more traditional works, nationwide competitions in recitation and calligraphy, and expanded campus programs for classic arts.
The trend is also visible in theatres and on television, where long-running poetry programs continue to draw wide audiences.
Universities are also building new disciplines and research platforms linked to Chinese classics and the study of ancient civilizations.

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China is giving renewed public attention to “the classics,” a broad label that can include ancient Chinese literature and philosophy, traditional arts, and—at some universities—the study of Greek and Roman texts. Over the past two years, this shift has become more visible in school curricula, national competitions, campus cultural programs, and popular television shows built around classical poetry.

The focus on classics has been most concrete in the classroom.

In the 2024 fall semester, revised primary and middle school textbooks began rolling out with a stronger emphasis on traditional Chinese culture. Chinese-language textbooks were updated to include hundreds of traditional cultural works, including selections from early poetry and writings by ancient thinkers. The revisions followed updated curriculum standards for compulsory education issued in 2022.

## Textbooks and the classroom
Education officials have presented the textbook revisions as part of wider changes to compulsory education materials. In addition to traditional culture, the revised set also includes content tied to practical skills and other policy priorities. But for many families and teachers, the most noticeable change has been the increased presence of older texts and set-piece readings in language classes.

At the higher-education level, the policy push has been paired with institutional changes. China’s education authorities have also approved new university disciplines, including fields tied to the study and development of fine traditional Chinese culture, with “Chinese classics” listed among the newly added discipline areas.

## Competitions, recitation and calligraphy
Beyond textbooks, classics are being promoted through structured activities that turn reading and writing into public performance.

In 2025, the Ministry of Education announced the launch of the seventh National Classics Competition. It kept four main categories—classics recitation, poetry interpretation, calligraphy, and seal carving—while also encouraging broader participation and links to national youth reading initiatives and education platforms.

Officials have also tied these activities to a wider effort to bring the arts into daily campus life. For 2025, authorities mapped out a nationwide “Introducing Classic Arts to Campus” program, presented as part of aesthetic education. The plan involves coordinated activities across schools, with support from multiple ministries.

## Classics in theatres and on television
The revival is not limited to schools.

In Beijing, a long-established theatre company has promoted a “Classic Revival Plan,” aimed at bringing older plays back to the stage while also developing new productions. The effort has been presented as a way to keep major works alive for newer audiences and new performers.

On television, classical poetry remains a durable format. “Chinese Poetry Conference,” a long-running competition-style program, reached its 10th season in early 2026. The show mixes quiz elements with recitation and storytelling, and its producers have framed it as a way to connect poetry “refined over millennia” with modern life.

## From Chinese classics to global ‘classics’
In some academic circles, “turning to the classics” has also meant interest in the classical Mediterranean world.

A recent feature on the growth of classics study in China described new attention to Greek and Roman texts, including translations, conferences, and the creation of new research centers focused on connections between ancient civilizations. The reporting traced part of that momentum to 2021, when Chinese and Greek education officials began supporting paired research centers intended to deepen mutual understanding of the two ancient traditions.

Together, these developments show a broad push that uses multiple entry points—school texts, competitions, cultural programming, and research institutions—to make classical learning more present in everyday public life.

The result is not one single campaign. Instead, it is a set of overlapping efforts that place older works—especially canonical Chinese texts, classical poetry, and traditional arts—closer to the center of education and culture.

AI Perspective

A classics revival can mean different things at the same time: memorization in schools, cultural confidence in public life, and specialized research on ancient texts. What stands out in China is the use of many formats—textbooks, contests, campus programs, theatre, and television—to reach different age groups. How lasting the trend becomes will depend on whether these materials stay engaging as study demands rise.