ABSTRACT
In the economic dimension, the intensification of marketization has greatly increased income gaps between different social strata, resulting in sharp oppositions within the social structure. Since 1949, especially after the launch of the reform and opening-up policy in 1978, the general trajectory of social development in China can be seen as a transition from an egalitarian society into one with a significant wealth gap. Whether during Mao's age of egalitarianism or the reform period after 1978, China's educational policies were generally made under the value orientation of elite education. Educational equity can promote social justice, maintain sound development of the society, and promote social and economic progress; conversely, educational inequity has a positive correlation with social injustice. The most effective approach for the government to promote educational equity is to break the 'institutional bottlenecks,' especially the Hukou and the college entrance examination systems.
