After dinner in the afternoon, I sat at home reading the latest version of the Chinese high school textbooks. I don’t know what the exam questions will be like, but I first flipped through the new physics textbooks. Since I’m not a science student, I only studied the first volume of the physics textbook ten years ago. Looking at the new first volume, I saw a familiar chapter structure, which made me feel nostalgic. Perhaps not much has changed? However, I noticed that the content of the new textbook is very similar to international textbooks, though it contains a lot more calculations, whereas international textbooks focus more on popular science, classical physicists, and the development of modern physics.

Next, I checked out the chemistry textbooks. I liked the structure of the new edition. I know the old editions start with topics like molar mass, moles, concentration, and purification, with loads of calculations that could be overwhelming. The new chemistry textbook is very similar to the international version, though it still seems to have many chemistry lab experiments and calculations. In contrast, international textbooks don’t go as deep into these, but they cover a broader range of topics.

Back when I was in school, we had to memorize those experiments, and I guess our chemistry teacher only took us to the lab once. I’m not sure if today’s high school students use the lab more often or if their teachers just show them videos.

I then looked at the mandatory biology textbooks. The content was similar to that of the international textbooks—cells, genetics, evolution, and ecology. However, in the new textbooks I was reading, I saw the same familiar topics on sugars, fats, proteins, and the Sudan iii stain experiment, which I didn’t like because it required rote memorization.

I also skimmed through the geography textbooks, focusing only on earth science and just browsing the table of contents for the other parts. Earth Science in the international version is more comprehensive, introducing all the planets one by one and explaining geological periods in detail. The domestic textbook lacks this. While the international textbook doesn’t cover regional development, the new Chinese textbook updates this section with modern cases, keeping up with the times.

Finally, I looked at the Ideology and Politics textbooks, a subject unique for students, maybe similar to American Government or Civics. I think, for high school students, if the teachers just read from the textbook, it’s likely very hard to grasp. The elective textbooks were good, though. One covered global politics and economy, and another focused on law in everyday life. In the law section, I noticed topics on entrepreneurship, marriage, labor laws, and dispute resolution. I think it’s a great addition.

There’s also an elective textbook on logical thinking, though I found this one a bit strange. It should be filled with abundant examples, but it has too much preaching, making it feel like part of the politics or Marxist philosophy sections. The core of logical thinking should be about skepticism, independent critical, creative & collaborative thinking, and problem-solving, but this book can hardly serve as a practical guide for these goals.

Additionally, one major difference from international textbooks is that the humanities sections in Chinese textbooks don’t include comprehensive descriptions of the ideas of sociologists, educators, and thinkers from ancient Greece, Rome, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the Enlightenment (even though there are basic introductions in history books). While natural sciences are covered in the physics, chemistry, and biology textbooks, the humanities, despite being based on the works of influential figures like Dewey, Kant, Nietzsche, Hegel, Adler, Jung, Montessori, and many others, aren’t mentioned at all. Topics like growth, pressure, social skills, or life skills—issues young people face—are also insufficient. Instead, they learn about how to live nobly as part of a collective.