education in China

* Kam-shing Yip Social work education and social work practice, with their origins in capitalist systems, were long rejected by Communist countries such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC). But modernization and the drastic economic development since the Cultural Revolution resulted in vigorous cultural exchanges with western countries. TheMinistry of Civic Affairs in China began to recognize the impor-tance of social work practice in addressing social problems, includ-ing poverty and post-disaster work. Social work and social work education have developed significantly since 1990. Social work prac-tice and social work education in China have to address the tensions between politicization, professionalization and commercialization. In this article, the writer tries to examine these tensions in detail. A brief historical review Initial development of social work education before 1949 Social work education and social work practice were first introduced to China in the 1920s by American professors in the Sociology Department inYanjingUniversity (nowPekingUniversity inBeijing). In 1930, formal social work courses were established with 12 social work subjects. In the same period, related social work courses were also launched by other universities such as Jinling University