Opportunities and Challenges for Primary and Secondary Art Teachers in China under the Global Framework of Art Education

Abstract

Against the backdrop of globalised integrated art education and progressive rollout of national aesthetic education policies in China, primary and secondary art teachers have transcended the confines of local classroom teaching. They have become core practitioners facilitating cross-cultural artistic exchange and systematic cultivation of public aesthetic literacy worldwide. Deep integration of diverse global artistic cultures, accelerated international dissemination of Chinese traditional arts, and widespread digital aesthetic education have jointly created unprecedented professional development opportunities for art educators at the basic education stage in China [1]. Nevertheless, multiple tangible barriers hinder their long-term career growth, including divergent pedagogical philosophies between Chinese and Western art education systems, insufficient cross-cultural competence and foreign language proficiency among teachers [2], severe urban-rural imbalance in educational resources [3], heavy non-teaching administrative workloads, and slow digital transformation of grassroots art teaching practices. Drawing on authoritative domestic and international academic literature, this paper constructs a dual analytical framework from international and domestic perspectives. It systematically elaborates on favourable developmental opportunities, dissects prominent practical dilemmas facing Chinese primary and secondary art teachers, and proposes targeted development strategies aligned with the demands of modern global aesthetic education. The findings offer practical references for teachers’ sustainable professional growth and the ongoing institutional reform of basic art education nationwide.