Ninth-grade students across China have begun their autumn term with the addition of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel *Jane Eyre* to their compulsory literature curriculum. Previously offered only as an optional text, the novel’s new status reflects Beijing’s efforts to shape the values and emotional development of young people amid broader concerns about declining birth rates and shifting social attitudes.
The decision to make *Jane Eyre* mandatory comes amid increasing emphasis by Chinese educational authorities on promoting traditional family values and cultivating moral character among adolescents. According to a report from a Communist Party-affiliated newspaper in Beijing, the novel is seen as a means to help students establish a coherent value system during “the innocent, budding stage of first love,” rather than allowing them to be influenced by fragmented or potentially harmful information.
Under President Xi Jinping’s administration, there has been heightened scrutiny of cultural influences on youth, particularly those perceived as undermining conventional ideas about love, marriage, and family. Chinese teenagers are reportedly exhibiting two notable trends: a reluctance to marry and have children, contributing to the country’s falling birth rate, and a strong interest in gothic and romantic fantasy literature—many works featuring themes or relationships considered unconventional by official standards.
*Jane Eyre* is viewed as especially suitable due to its Victorian themes that blend romance with lessons about personal integrity and resilience. The narrative’s depiction of love overcoming social barriers and internal adversity aligns with the government’s emphasis on tradition and personal growth. The reading unit surrounding the novel explores how its protagonist matures into an independent and self-respecting individual, highlighting love as just one element of her broader development.
The novel’s inclusion in Chinese schools also fits within a wider fascination with Victorian English literature. Libraries in some Chinese schools hold extensive collections of works by authors such as Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, reflecting parallels drawn between 19th-century Britain and contemporary China, including social upheaval, inequality, and political challenges. The Brontë sisters’ novels, historically regarded as early feminist literature, continue to resonate in this context.
Reactions among students and parents have been mixed. Some question whether *Jane Eyre* genuinely transcends societal prejudices or simply reinforces traditional rewards for conformity, such as marriage and wealth. Others advocate reading the text through a contemporary lens—recognizing valuable aspects while critically assessing outdated elements.
The introduction of this English literary classic to China’s national curriculum raises questions about the shifting role of canonical Western literature in education globally, particularly as some Western countries are reconsidering their own approaches to teaching such works. Meanwhile, the growing presence of these novels in Chinese classrooms underscores Beijing’s unique engagement with foreign literature as a tool for social and moral education.