Citing as a central focus of the Chinese government since the People's Republic of China was established in 1949, this paper presents a brief sociopolitical and historical description of China in the twentieth century and suggests reasons for its lack of modern development and low educational attainment as of 1949. The importance of education as a major factor in national policy is described with special attention to Communist ideological differences between the "red" or Maoist form and the "expert" or meritocratic model. Recent developments and the impact of economic and political reforms are having a continuing impact on Chinese educational policy. (CFR)