Changing tides of shadow education in China: trends and opportunities

The so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring became a highly significant phenomenon in China during the 2000s and 2010s. Families viewed shadow education as a strategy to preserve their children’s chances in highly competitive environments characterised by increasing uncertainty. In 2021, the government cracked down on the industry but addressed only the symptoms rather than the causes. Families still felt the need to compete in these uncertain environments, and many continued to seek tutoring, albeit through underground channels. The government crackdown also impacted the industry itself, but entrepreneurs responded by finding ways around the regulations, developing new curricula, and harnessing emerging technologies. Families still face considerable uncertainty, and future patterns will reflect a complex web of contradictions with ongoing shifts in power relations.