On November 14, 2014, Liaoning Daily, a provincial Chinese Communist Party-run newspaper, published an article (reprinted in Sohu) titled, “Teacher, Please Don’t Talk about China Like That: An Open Letter to Teachers of Philosophy and Social Science.” Liaoning Daily’s reporters sat through about 100 classes in 20 universities in big cities in China and concluded that university teachers in China 1) disagree with the Chinese Communist Party’s innovative theories and expose the dark sides of Marx, Engels, and Mao Zedong in class; 2) disagree with China’s political system and praise the “separation of powers” in the West; 3) do not love the Chinese Communist Party and do not encourage students to join the Party using themselves as role models.
On November 17, 2014, the Chinese Communist Party News website under People’s Daily published a commentary article titled “University Teachers Should Not Be ‘Announcers’ Who Defame China.” The article criticized university teachers for spreading Western views and disparaging China’s political system in class. The article said, “University teachers must correct their world views, conscientiously implement the Party’s education policy, and inject positive energy into the development and dissemination of (China’s) socialist core value system.”
On November 19, 2014, Huanqiu published a commentary on the debate that the Liaoning Daily’s article initiated (“If Any Country Is Criticized, the Target Must Be China”). According to Huanqiu, university instructors’ speeches in class must be restricted by a higher political and moral bottom line. “If instructors in European and American universities promote values that are highly contradictory to those of mainstream society, they will get into big trouble.”
Finally, the Xinhua blog published an article (not necessarily representing Xinhua’s views) saying, “First of all, do not underestimate the intelligence and judgment of college students." "Second, do not overestimate the teachers’ influence in the university classroom." "Third, the openness and freedom of the university classes have a self-purification function." "Fourth, we should believe in the capable outcome resulting from university autonomy.”
Source: Sohu, People’s Daily, Huanqiu, Xinhua Blog, November 14 – 19, 2015
http://news.sohu.com/20141114/n406046000.shtml
http://cpc.people.com.cn/pinglun/n/2014/1117/c241220-26037053.html
http://opinion.huanqiu.com/editorial/2014-11/5207179.html
http://sike.news.cn/article.do?action=articleDetail&id=218598439