ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how neoliberal educational reforms have shaped the work lives of school principals in China, and how Chinese principals have located themselves in relation to the two domains of the lifeworld and systemsworld in their schools. It illustrates the ways in which trends in neoliberal reform, similar to those in the West, have swept across China. The chapter introduces the international reform context and the problems arising from the colonisation of the school lifeworld by the systemsworld. It outlines the major reform initiatives in China. The chapter describes the background of the study and presents the illustrative narratives of the three high school principals in Shanghai. It discusses how Chinese principals locate themselves in the school lifeworld and systemsworld and explains why the country's principals act primarily as agents of the state. The chapter suggests possible directions for future research.
