Reflections on Multilingual Education in China

Recently, I had the opportunity to join the Beyond the Books podcast to discuss my work on multilingual education in China. I am grateful for the invitation and the chance to share some reflections from my research journey over the past years.

My academic work has long focused on multilingualism, multilingual education, and intercultural studies in education. Over the past sixteen years, I have worked together with many dedicated colleagues across China on a nationwide research initiative examining trilingual education, particularly in minority regions. What began as a small collaborative effort has gradually developed into a network of more than 250 researchers and educators across eleven minority regions. I have been fortunate to learn from many talented scholars and practitioners who are deeply committed to improving educational opportunities for linguistically diverse communities.

One important theme of our research concerns the distinction between additive and subtractive models of trilingual education. Ideally, multilingual education should allow students to develop strong competence in the national standard language and English while also maintaining and strengthening their mother tongue. Language learning should not come at the cost of linguistic and cultural heritage. In some regions of China, such as Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, we have seen encouraging examples where strong multilingual education models support both academic development and cultural identity.

At the same time, many minority languages and regional dialects face increasing challenges in the context of rapid social and economic change. I believe that thoughtful language policies and well-designed multilingual education programmes can help maintain a healthy balance between national communication, global engagement, and linguistic diversity.

I remain deeply grateful to colleagues, students, and collaborators who have contributed to this ongoing work. Any recognition my research has received reflects the collective effort of many people dedicated to understanding and supporting multilingual education.

If you wish to revisit Episode 20 in several formats or share it with colleagues, FHSS highlighted Beyond the Books on LinkedIn. A brief preview clip is available on WeChat. The full voice-only interview is hosted on YouTube; there are further reflections on multilingual education today on LinkedIn. For a fuller read, see the companion original bilingual article on WeChat.