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This paper examines the nature and socio-political functions of Hong Kong's 'Chinese history curriculum' during colonialism and since decolonization and argues that these functions have resulted in a curriculum characterized by rote-learning and geared towards social control. Students are initiated into the traditional, orthodox view of Chinese history and prescribed moral judgements. Consequently, there is little chance for independent thinking on the part of students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a response to the commentaries on my essay, ‘Interpretation, autonomy, and transformation’. However, the response is reoriented to further interpretation of Chinese pedagogic discourse in the late-19thcentury, which is often blamed for hampering China’s educational advance. Instead of considering Classical Confucian pedagogy as a blueprint for future development, my inquiry aims to provide alternative ways of thinking about sources of pedagogic innovation in the philosophical perspective of language. By presenting and analysing an eight-legged essay of the Imperial Civil Examination, I argue that pedagogy is a process of meaning-making, which is not only a question of synchrony inside a system attributed with causality and analysis, but also of diachrony by registering meanings to what was said by sages. ‘Speak in the place of sages’ should be taken as a continuous tradition to secure flow of meanings from the past for the purpose of meeting with the challenge of modernity in China. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]