China Names 25 ‘Most Beautiful Teachers’ for 2026
China’s Central Propaganda Department and the Ministry of Education jointly released the outstanding deeds of 25 educators selected as the country’s 2026 “Most Beautiful Teachers” (最美教师), honoring exemplary teachers across the nation on the occasion of China’s 42nd Teachers’ Day, People’s Daily reported.
The announcement, carried by Xinhua News Agency and published in the People’s Daily print edition on September 11, 2026, followed a release ceremony held a day earlier on September 10, the date of Teachers’ Day in China.
Who Was Honored
The 25 honorees include Wan Yongshan, Ma Tianxiang, Ma Chaoqun, Ma Cuiling, Wang Wenke, Wang Yonggui, Wang Qing, Wang Ruzhu, Wang Zhen, Wen Tao, Feng Yingqiao, Liu Guihua, Liu Xueya, Li Zhijun, Wang Yang, Shen Zehua, Zhang Fusuo, Lin Mao, Zhao Xi, Hou Guangliang, Guo Shaoqing, Cui Yuqiu, Zhang Zhenle, Peng Yanfeng and Silang Pingcuo.
According to the People’s Daily print edition, the honorees represent a broad cross-section of the teaching profession — from those who use the Party’s innovative theory to build students’ ideological foundations, to educators tackling cutting-edge science and key national strategic technology problems.
The group also includes teachers who promote student health through sport, those working on industry-education integration to train skilled craftsmen, early-childhood caregivers, and special-education teachers dedicated to ensuring every child has a chance to succeed.
Notable among the list is Zhang Fusuo, a professor at China Agricultural University and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, known for pioneering the “Science and Technology Backyard” model that places classrooms directly in agricultural fields.
The Official Framing
The recognition was framed around Xi Jinping’s important expositions on education. As the joint announcement put it, the release was intended to “deeply study and implement General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on education, vigorously carry forward the educators spirit, create a social custom of respecting teachers and valuing education, accelerate building an education powerhouse, and run education to the people’s satisfaction.”
Organizers said the honorees’ deeds “collectively display the home-and-country sentiment and sense of responsibility of people’s teachers in the new era” and “vividly embody the profound meaning of the most noble profession under the sun.”
The release ceremony featured video shorts depicting the honorees’ daily work, family lives and teaching stories, with officials from both departments presenting them with “Most Beautiful Teacher” certificates.
Teachers’ Day Greetings From Xi
On the same day as the ceremony, Xi Jinping extended festive greetings and sincere regards to teachers and education workers nationwide, according to a People’s Daily client report republished by Xiamen News.
“We have all had many teachers from primary school to university — I can still remember how they looked,” Xi was quoted as saying. He added that “for a long time, teachers across the country have conscientiously implemented the Party’s education policy, diligently teaching and imparting knowledge, making important contributions to the cause of the Party and the country.”
A National Campaign With Local Reach
The event is part of an annual joint selection and publicity campaign run by the two departments around Teachers’ Day each year. The effort is positioned within China’s broader drive to build a “strong education nation” — a national strategy emphasizing talent cultivation for Party and national development goals.
The recognition also echoed in provincial observances. In Yunnan Province, senior provincial leaders visited schools in Kunming to mark the 42nd Teachers’ Day, Yunnan Net reported, emphasizing the implementation of Xi Jinping’s important expositions on education and the promotion of the educators spirit.
Yunnan Party Secretary Wang Ning, Governor Wang Yubao and Deputy Party Secretary Liu Hongjian toured Southwest Forestry University and a local primary-school education group, discussing teaching reform, research commercialization and student well-being. Wang stressed that teachers are a “lofty and great profession” and that “good schools and good education depend on having good teachers.”
Why It Matters
Since Xi Jinping’s September 2023 letter to a symposium of national outstanding teacher representatives — which first articulated the “educators spirit” (教育家精神) framework — Chinese education policy has increasingly organized teacher recognition and training around that concept.
The annual Most Beautiful Teacher campaign serves to set national role models, promote a social atmosphere of respecting teachers, and channel teacher messaging around moral cultivation (立德树人) and the training of socialist builders and successors.
The 2026 edition followed the program’s familiar two-track structure: an official release ceremony with certificates and video tributes, alongside wide syndication of the honorees’ profiles through People’s Daily, Xinhua, CCTV and local outlets.
What’s Next
With the announcement now published, the honorees’ stories are expected to circulate widely across state and local media in the coming weeks, reinforcing the campaign’s role in China’s broader education-policy messaging. The emphasis on the educators spirit is likely to remain a central theme in teacher training and recognition efforts ahead.