This article identifies the problem that an instrumentalist mode of thinking dominates China's contemporary education practice and suggests that the dichotomy between the "small self and big self," a notion that has been present throughout modern Chinese history, exacerbates this instrumentalism. It parallels the loss of China's tradition of self-cultivation in the modern education system. This paper proposes that cultivating the inner self by releasing talent unique to each individual as well as energy for creatively making meaningful connections with others may represent a new means of moving past the dichotomy of the "small self and big self." The paper examines this issue through a comparative analysis of Hu Shi and Liang Shuming's thoughts on individuality.