Xi Sends Teachers’ Day Greetings to China’s Educators
Chinese President Xi Jinping extended festive greetings and sincere regards to teachers and educators nationwide on the occasion of China’s 42nd Teachers’ Day, according to a Xinhua dispatch issued on September 9, the eve of the annual observance. Writing in his capacity as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, President of the People’s Republic of China, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Xi delivered the message “on behalf of the CPC Central Committee.”
Teachers’ Day has been observed annually in China on September 10 since 1985. The 2026 greetings carry the country’s core education priorities without introducing new policy, positioning the teaching workforce at the center of the Party’s long-term national development goals.
Honoring Teachers’ Contributions
Xi noted that over the long term, teachers across the country have earnestly implemented the Party’s education policy, dedicating themselves to teaching and imparting knowledge while making important contributions to the cause of the Party and the country.
Looking ahead, he set out a broad mandate for educators on what the Party describes as the “new journey.” Teachers should keep in mind the original mission of cultivating talent for the Party and the country, implement the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education, vigorously carry forward the “educator’s spirit,” cultivate noble teacher ethics, and enhance their professional qualities and abilities, he said.
The stated objective is to “strive to cultivate a new generation capable of shouldering the great task of national rejuvenation.” Xi also called on Party committees and governments at all levels to value and strengthen the building of the teaching workforce, foster a society-wide atmosphere of respecting teachers and valuing education, and pool strong synergy for building an “education powerhouse.”
The “Educator’s Spirit” and a Workforce of 18.7 Million
The greetings reiterate a concept Xi elaborated in a 2023 letter to outstanding teacher representatives and later institutionalized in 2024 guidance from the CPC Central Committee and the State Council. That “educator’s spirit” is defined across six dimensions: firm ideals of service to the country, moral conduct that serves as a model in word and deed, wisdom in enlightening students and teaching according to aptitude, a diligent and truth-seeking attitude, a benevolent devotion to teaching and students, and a broad-minded pursuit of promoting culture and virtue.
According to a Xinhua feature, the 2026 Teachers’ Day theme is “Vigorously carry forward the educator’s spirit and jointly build an atmosphere of respecting teachers and valuing education.” By 2025, China counted more than 18.7 million full-time teachers, supporting the world’s largest education system.
Policy Momentum Behind the Message
The greetings arrive amid sustained policy attention to teacher welfare and status. The Xinhua feature reports that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, rural teacher living allowances reached more than 1.3 million teachers, the reduction of non-teaching administrative burdens cut social affairs entering campuses by over 65 percent, and more than 2,000 teachers received national model or outstanding teacher commendations. Measures across healthcare, transport, and consumer services have advanced a “teachers first” approach to public services.
Beijing has signaled further action. Per the same report, China plans to implement a national teacher development initiative emphasizing spiritual guidance, training quality, equitable development, and care for educators — a framework echoed in the 15th Five-Year Plan’s proposed “Teacher Education Capacity Enhancement Project.”
Symbolism and Personal Anecdotes
The Xinhua feature anchors the official message in Xi’s personal history as a student. It recalls a 1992 letter from Xi, then Fuzhou party secretary, to Beijing Bayi School — his alma mater for primary and middle school — which he signed simply as “Student: Xi Jinping.” Visiting the school ahead of the 32nd Teachers’ Day in 2016, Xi told faculty, “There is no ‘leader’ here — we are all students,” and answered a retired teacher who said he had brought happiness to the people with the now-oft-quoted line, “It was our teachers who cultivated us.”
As Guangming Daily republished the greeting, the message remained a routine official observance rather than a policy announcement, drawing no evident international controversy.
What’s Next
The greetings set the tone for how the Party frames its education agenda heading into the next planning cycle. Observers of Chinese education policy will watch how the announced teacher development initiative translates into concrete funding, pay guarantees, and training programs — and whether the emphasis on “educator’s spirit” and Party-loyalty education reshapes teacher evaluation in the years ahead.