ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors review recent non-empirical literature on principal leadership in China, written in Chinese, between 1998 and 2016. Reviewing the literature written in Chinese is important for three main reasons. First, while there is no shortage of papers reviewing research in the field of educational leadership internationally, most only include work from a small number of societies. Second, given the uneven flow of knowledge dissemination, a review of principal leadership in China provides a foundation on which future cross-societal discourse can be based. Third, by revealing gaps in the knowledge base on school leadership in China, this review can suggest directions for future research in China and beyond. The authors describe the core and sub-patterns identified through the review: prescriptions, commentaries and experience sharing. They include the analysis of whether and how the focus of the literature has shifted over time.
