Creative Arts in Education and Culture: Perspectives From Greater China

Abstract

Today’s “Greater China” – comprising China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan – has grown into a vibrant and rapidly transforming region characterized by rich historical legacies, enormous dynamism and exciting cultural metamorphosis. Home to over 200 million people, the Pearl Delta region of Greater China has been identifi ed as the world’s fi rst and largest “mega-region” in a recent United Nations’ State of World Cities Report (Vidal, 2010). Concomitant with the economic rise of China and widespread calls for more “creative” and “liberal” education, the educational and cultural sectors in the region have witnessed signifi cant reforms in recent years. The regional borders have become more porous and policies, practices, and pedagogies are evolving. There is also an emergence of a “new” awareness of Chinese cultural values and the uniqueness of being Chinese.