China Names 25 ‘Most Beautiful Teachers’ for 2026
China’s Central Propaganda Department and Ministry of Education jointly released the 2026 “Most Beautiful Teachers” list on September 10, honoring 25 educators whose work spans every level of the country’s education system. The announcement came on the eve of China’s 42nd Teachers’ Day, according to Xinhua.
The honorees include Wan Yongshan, Ma Tianxiang, Ma Chaoqun, Ma Cuiling, Wang Wenke, Wang Yonggui, Wang Qing, Wang Ruzhu, Wang Zhen, and Wen Tao, among others, the state news agency reported. The selection committee highlighted teachers working across higher education, vocational education, basic education, preschool education, and special education.
A Focus on Frontline Educators
According to the People’s Daily, the officials honored teachers who have applied the Party’s innovative theory in their classrooms, tackled key national strategic and technological challenges, advanced a “health-first” approach to education through sports, worked on industry-education integration, cared for young children, and supported students with disabilities.
One honoree, Ma Chaoqun — a “post-90s” physical education teacher at Zhengzhou Jinsha Primary School — gained national visibility through short films and dance performances produced with his students. A spring 2026 dance short film he wrote and directed, built around children dancing in a wheat field, drew more than 40 million online views, according to a Southern Metropolis Daily interview published the following day.
“I just hope children have fewer fears — don’t first consider whether you can succeed; if you dare to try, there are more possibilities,” Ma told the newspaper, adding that “every child has their own rhythm.”
Ceremony and Recognition
The honors were formally unveiled at a release ceremony, where video shorts depicting the teachers’ daily work, family life, and teaching stories were screened. Officials presented each honoree with a “Most Beautiful Teacher” certificate, CCTV’s Xinwen Lianbo reported on its national evening broadcast.
The announcement was framed as part of implementing Xi Jinping’s important discourses on education, promoting the “spirit of educators,” and advancing China’s goal of building an “education powerhouse” by 2035. The release article described the honorees’ deeds as demonstrating “the patriotism and sense of responsibility of people’s teachers in the new era” and interpreting “the profound meaning of ‘the most noble profession under the sun.’”
Teachers across the country responded to the recognition with pledges to emulate the honorees, with one statement in the People’s Daily quoting an educator’s commitment to becoming a “great master” who shapes students’ character, conduct, and taste.
What’s Next
The “Most Beautiful Teachers” program is an annual fixture of the national “Most Beautiful” role-model campaign series, timed each year to coincide with Teachers’ Day on September 10. Alongside the certificate and televised ceremony, honorees typically feature in media profiles intended to elevate public respect for the profession and encourage recruitment into teaching.
The 2026 cohort also reflects how digital media increasingly shapes national recognition: several honorees won public attention through online content before their formal selection. China’s education system continues to face demographic and regional disparities in teacher supply, making such campaigns part of a broader push to strengthen the teaching workforce.