In a bid to protect Chinese culture and traditions, China is blocking international programs that prepare students for overseas study. Following this directive, in Beijing No.4 High School, the international program has been seperated from the public school course. Pundits say the move would discourage students looking to further their education abroad.

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"Politically, there is a question of soft power. Xi Jinping's China Dream has really been about a strong China that can project itself overseas. China sees itself as a natural competitor to the U.S., and it can't have its elite creating all these alternative pathways to education," Jiang Xuegin, an educational consultant, said.

The Shanghai municipal education commission has announced that its schools' international programs should teach Chinese history and "moral education."

Humanities coordinator Jesse Field from an Affiliated High School of Peking University revealed that his school has been encouraged to practice discretion with highly sensitive subjects like ethnic policies and human rights.

"They're definitely worried about the phenomenon. Students need to learn Chinese history, they need to learn to be patriotic, these are national requirements. The fear is that these goals are being lost," vice-president Wang Xiong of the Beijing-based 21st Century Education Research Institute said.

The number of Chinese students who studied abroad in 2014 was 459 800 - an 11% rise from 2013.

TagsChinese education, Chinese student, Western values