【Epoch Times October 21, 2026】After visiting and experiencing Taiwan, two senior mainland Chinese teachers reexamined their decades-long teaching careers. A history teacher reflected deeply on the limitations of rote learning and confrontational education after observing a Taiwanese classroom. Another university teacher, from the warmth and courtesy on the streets of Taipei, realized that the true disparity between the two sides lies in the matters of the heart and cultivation. Both expressed that true education lies in inspiring independent thinking and conveying humanistic care.
Recently, a mainland Chinese history teacher with 20 years of teaching experience shared her experience of observing classes in Taiwan online, attracting attention on the internet.
In her online sharing, the mainland teacher recalled that last year, she accompanied an academic exchange group to Taiwan and entered a junior high school history classroom to observe teaching.
“As soon as I stepped into the classroom, I even carried a bit of arrogance, thinking how profound their classrooms could be.”
However, the 40 minutes she spent observing at the back of the classroom completely changed her perspective.
She recalled that Taiwanese teachers do not stand on the podium to unilaterally instill standard answers, nor do they require students to memorize historical dates and so-called great achievements. What was presented on the blackboard was an open-ended question, allowing students to freely discuss the conflicts and pains Taiwan experienced in different historical periods.
The performance of the students also left a deep impression on her.
In class, students expressed their understandings from the perspectives of indigenous peoples, immigrants, and outsiders. Despite intense discussions, students still sincerely listened to each other’s viewpoints.
“Looking at the light and confidence in those children’s eyes, that atmosphere of free expression and not fearing to speak wrongly, is something I have never seen in my own classroom.”
She particularly noticed that nobody in the classroom was criticized or labeled because of differing views, and teachers did not dictate who represented the sole righteousness for students. The focus of the class was to help students understand the past and future of this land.
This sharply contrasted with the familiar historical teaching methods in the mainland, prompting her to re-examine the historical knowledge she had imparted over the years.
The teacher admitted that after the observation, she felt a “chilling sensation” and even “no place to hide.”
“Recalling my 20 years of teaching career, what exactly did I teach the students with my own mouth?”
She reflected on how she had demanded students to memorize emotionally colored historical narratives, simplifying complex historical events into a binary black-and-white enemy versus us scenario, and unknowingly depriving students of their ability to think independently.
In her view, when historical education is reduced to standard answers and feelings of revenge, students find it difficult to understand history from different perspectives, and struggle to discern the complex backgrounds behind historical events.
She had always believed that such teaching was cultivating students’ patriotism. However, after observing classes in Taiwan, she began to question whether she had been teaching a love for the land and life, or fostering biases and hatred towards the outside world.
“It was only at that moment of painful realization that I saw clearly: what I taught wasn’t love for the land and life but generational biases and malice towards the outside world.”
This reflection not only involved how history textbooks present the past but also touched on the fundamental issue of education: whether teachers should guide students to understand history or demand students accept pre-established conclusions.
The experience of this teacher highlights the differences between two historical teaching philosophies.
In the Taiwanese classroom she observed, students were allowed to discuss historical conflicts from the perspectives of different groups, and teachers did not set one viewpoint as the only correct answer. Students were required not only to memorize the time and outcomes of events but also to understand why different groups held different views and how historical traumas influenced contemporary society.
In contrast, she reflected on the teaching methods she had long employed in the mainland, believing that classrooms often simplified complex history into clear good versus evil distinctions, reinforcing collective memory through narratives filled with strong emotions.
The difference between the two approaches lies not only in whether students are allowed to speak in class but also in whether they can question existing explanations and form their judgments when faced with differing opinions.
After reconsidering the meaning of historical teaching, this teacher believed that a healthy educational environment should help students face the real past, respect diverse perspectives within society, and learn how to find consensus in the face of differing opinions.
She emphasized that historical education should not aim to cultivate hatred, nor should it mold students into individuals who cannot accommodate different viewpoints and only repeat established positions.
For her, patriotism should not equate to accepting a single historical narrative, nor does it imply maintaining enmity toward other countries, nations, or groups. Truly understanding a piece of land requires acknowledging its history, as well as confronting the conflicts, pain, and experiences of different groups within it.
As she left the classroom in Taiwan, she felt laden with guilt.
She said, “I thought I had been enlightening the children’s eyes for these 20 years, but it was only at that moment that I truly understood: the one who had been blindfolded and needed to see the world was me.”
Coincidentally, another mainland Chinese teacher who visited Taiwan also offered reflections on education from a different perspective.
A teacher who had taught at a university in Wuhan for over 20 years was deeply moved by the courtesy and public order in Taiwan.
In a video she shared recounting her experiences in Taiwan, she expressed how despite believing that mainland China had developed well over the years, with skyscrapers and expanding subway lines, her trip to Taiwan altered her perception of the disparities between the two sides.
“I finally understood what disparity meant, it’s not about how tall the buildings are, but how warm people’s hearts are.”
She reminisced about riding the Taipei metro for the first time and witnessing passengers willingly stand instead of occupying priority seats meant for those in need. When a mother holding a child boarded, three or four people stood up simultaneously to offer their seats.
“The ease at which this happened made even this old teacher feel ashamed.”
What left a lasting impression on her was the order on the escalators of the metro. She observed that passengers conscientiously stood on the right, leaving the left side for individuals in a hurry.
“No slogans reminding them, it was just something everyone did.”
In her opinion, if public order needs constant reminders and supervision to be maintained, it fundamentally differs from people voluntarily abiding by rules. True civilization not only involves knowing the rules but willingly considering others.
In addition to the courtesy on public transportation, she was deeply moved by the spontaneous help among strangers.
One evening, she was searching for a well-known pineapple cake shop in Taipei’s Ximending district, turning her phone’s map for a while without finding the destination.
A young man selling pearl milk tea saw her distress and not only directed her but also closed his stand, walking with her for nearly 20 minutes until he reached the entrance of the pineapple cake shop.
Wanting to buy him a cup of milk tea as thanks, he simply waved her off with a smile.
“It was a small favor, welcome to Taiwan for a visit.”
This experience left her deeply touched. She recalled that her eyes “genuinely welled up” at that moment.
Another time, she accidentally sat in the wrong train carriage on the high-speed rail and was at a loss when a lady and several young people immediately came forward to help. Some checked her ticket, others looked up the timetable on their phones, and some comforted her not to worry.
Finally, after helping her check she was on the correct platform, they all got off together.
“The care among strangers was reminiscent of the warmth I remembered from my childhood.”
From giving up seats on the subway to guiding strangers and assisting passengers with travel issues, these experiences revealed to her that goodwill among people does not require special arrangements nor demands for reciprocity.
The teacher also noticed that despite the dense foot traffic in Taipei’s urban area, the streets were relatively clean, and cigarette butts were scarcely seen on the ground. Even garbage sorting was meticulously done, with specific ways of categorizing kitchen waste.
The conditions in public restrooms also struck her. She found that tissues were usually provided in public toilets, and hand towels were promptly replenished next to the handwashing sinks.
To her, these might seem insignificant details but they reflected how public management, personal habits, and social responsibilities collectively influenced daily life.
These details eventually led her to turn her gaze back to the field of education where she taught.
In Taiwan, she witnessed the traditional cultural values of “gentleness, propriety, humility, and respect.”
For a teacher who had taught at a university in Wuhan for over 20 years, this trip to Taiwan not only offered observations on the local living environment but also provoked reflections on education.
“We often talk about catching up, always competing on which side has a higher GDP and more skyscrapers. In Taiwan, what I saw was ‘gentleness, propriety, humility, and respect,’ not just five words written in a book but lived out in everyone’s every move.”
The teacher believed that the value of education cannot be solely measured by knowledge impartation and academic performance. If students learn about politeness, respect, responsibility, and care in the classroom but fail to embody these concepts in their daily actions, then the goals of education still warrant scrutiny.
Reflecting on her trip to Taiwan, the teacher’s deepest feeling was the stark contrast between some daily behaviors in Taiwan and her own life experiences.
She sighed, “What is truly worth learning isn’t just urban development or public facilities but people’s consideration for strangers, their voluntary adherence to public rules, and their respect for others’ dignity.”
“This kind of goodwill and politeness that stems from the heart, this care and respect for strangers, is what we truly should be learning.” She concluded.
Although personal experiences from a single trip are not enough to comprehensively compare the education systems and social civilization between the two sides, these concrete observations provide a perspective for discussing how education can cultivate civic literacy and translate moral concepts into practical actions.