This article explores the trajectory of educational changes in China over the past three decades in the context of globalization and social and economic transformation. It addresses three research questions: what educational changes occurred in China, why some educational policies worked well but others failed, how the political dynamics of educational changes interplayed with each other. Informed by the literature on "glocalization" and "controlled decontrol", the authors develop a two-dimensional theoretical framework to analyze the political dynamics of educational changes in China, and examine the tensions between globalization and localization, centralization and decentralization. Through a critical review of educational policies and a discussion of theories and empirical studies, this article provides insight into alternative interpretation of educational changes in China.