The Situation of Higher Education and Research in China since 2012

China is characterized by a remarkable paradox: its universities enjoy excellent ratings in international rankings, even though many constraints, notably political, weigh on research and teaching. While the humanities and social sciences are particularly exposed, no discipline is truly immune to these pressures. What is the nature of these constraints and how do they operate? The paper sets out by presenting the institutional structure of the Chinese higher education system and its self-imparted role of students’ political socialization under the ideological control of the Communist Party. It then discusses the control of the teaching process, particularly through the system of “student informants”. Lastly, it endeavors to show how orthodoxy in concepts and method is achieved and sustained, using the example of the historical discipline.