Chinese Students' Knowledge and Thinking about America and China

The authors interviewed more than one hundred high school students in three regions of China about their knowledge and perceptions of the United States and China. The authors' findings suggest the following: (1) students possess extensive knowledge about the United States in terms of its history, geography, socioeconomic system, and education, and they obtain the knowledge from multiple media sources besides social studies curriculum; (2) students obtain knowledge about China mainly from news media, social studies class, and their personal experience; (3) students admire American socioeconomic and educational systems but resent America's interference with China's domestic issues and its hegemony in world affairs; (4) students take pride in China's economic development but resent the education system and are concerned about economic inequity existing in China today; and (5) students believe that mutual understanding and learning from each other will benefit the United States, China, and the whole world. (Contains 2 notes.)