Lixia Feng

Lixia Feng

March 31, 2026

International Chinese education, Localization, Endogenous development, Teacher construction, Curriculum system.

Against the backdrop of the continuous evolution of global language education, international Chinese language education is shifting from a stage of scale expansion to a new stage centered on quality improvement and sustainable development. To promote the stable implementation of Chinese education in non-Chinese-speaking countries and regions, localization has become a key issue. This article takes the localization of international Chinese education as the research object. Based on defining its connotation and core characteristics, it constructs an analytical framework from four dimensions: system and policy, teaching staff, teaching materials and curriculum, as well as teaching implementation and learning subjects. By comparing practical experiences from different regions, it is pointed out that the lack of institutional embedding, weak local teaching resources, limited adaptability of curriculum materials, and weak learner agency are structural issues commonly existing in the current localization process. Based on this, this paper proposes that international Chinese education should transition from being externally driven to internally driven development. It advocates for strengthening the governance foundation through institutional embedding, enhancing the cultivation of local teaching resources, promoting the localization of curriculum and textbooks, and strengthening the connection between Chinese learning and local social needs, in order to achieve sustainable development of international Chinese education.

© 2026, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license