People's Education Press

People's Education Press, commonly abbreviated PEP, is a Chinese education publisher focused on textbooks and related teaching resources for the country's basic-education system. Established in Beijing in 1950, it became one of the principal institutions responsible for developing, editing, publishing, and distributing school teaching materials in the People's Republic of China. Its work has been closely connected with national curriculum policy, textbook standards, subject syllabuses, and successive rounds of education reform. The press is particularly associated with primary and secondary school textbooks, including materials for Chinese language, mathematics, foreign languages, science, history, geography, politics, morality and civics, information technology, and other curriculum areas. Its textbooks have been used widely in mainland Chinese schools, although textbook selection and local adoption can vary by province, municipality, grade, and curriculum framework. In addition to student textbooks, PEP produces teachers' guides, workbooks, curriculum-support materials, reference works, educational periodicals, digital resources, and other publications intended for classroom and home study. PEP's institutional role differs from that of a purely commercial trade publisher. Its publishing program has historically reflected national curriculum priorities and the public-service requirements of compulsory education. Textbook development typically involves subject specialists, teachers, curriculum researchers, editors, and review or approval processes established by education authorities. As a result, the press has been an important channel through which changes in curriculum policy, pedagogical practice, civic education, and subject content have reached schools. The press has also adapted its publishing operations to reforms in China's school curriculum and to the growth of digital learning. Alongside printed textbooks, it has developed electronic teaching resources, online services, multimedia materials, and other forms of digital support. These activities extend the traditional textbook model rather than replacing it: printed curriculum materials remain central, while digital products support lesson preparation, classroom instruction, assessment, and independent learning. PEP operates within China's state-owned education publishing structure and is associated with China Education Publishing & Media Group. Its principal market is mainland China, where its products serve schools, teachers, students, education administrators, and families. Internationally, the press is also known as a source of Chinese-language learning materials and educational publications, but its core identity remains that of a national basic-education textbook publisher. The brand is therefore positioned around curriculum authority, broad educational reach, subject expertise, and alignment with official school education rather than around consumer entertainment or general trade publishing.

People's Education Press was established in Beijing in 1950, shortly after the founding of the People's Republic of China. From its beginning, the institution was intended to support the construction of a unified national education system through the preparation and publication of school textbooks and other educational materials. In a country undertaking major institutional and social changes, a common supply of curriculum materials was considered important for expanding literacy, standardizing instruction, and supporting school development. During the decades that followed, the press became one of China's most prominent publishers of primary and secondary school textbooks. Its publishing program covered core subjects and developed in response to changes in national education policy, school curricula, and textbook review requirements. The press combined editorial publishing with the work of subject researchers, curriculum specialists, teachers, and educational institutions. This gave it a role extending beyond ordinary book production: its materials helped translate official curriculum frameworks and pedagogical objectives into classroom texts and practical teaching resources. The structure and content of Chinese school textbooks changed substantially during the reform era. New approaches to compulsory education, subject teaching, foreign-language instruction, examination preparation, and curriculum organization required revisions to established textbook series. PEP participated in these changes by revising existing materials, developing new series, and publishing associated teachers' guides, workbooks, reference books, and other support products. The scale of its output and its close relationship with the education system made the press a highly visible participant in debates about curriculum content and textbook use. PEP's publishing activities expanded beyond conventional printed student books. It developed teaching references, educational periodicals, supplementary materials, and resources for teachers and families. With the spread of internet connectivity and digital learning, the press also introduced electronic and multimedia resources intended to complement printed textbooks. These products support functions such as lesson preparation, classroom presentation, practice, assessment, and access to additional learning content. The press operates as part of China's state-owned education publishing and media system and is associated with China Education Publishing & Media Group. Its principal activities remain concentrated in mainland China's basic-education market. At the same time, its Chinese-language and language-learning publications give it some reach among overseas learners and institutions. In the present era, PEP remains identified primarily with the development and publication of curriculum-based school materials, while adapting its content and delivery channels to continuing reforms in Chinese education and to the digitalization of publishing.

• 1950

  People's Education Press established

  [1]People's Education Press official websitepep.com.cn

  People's Education Press was established in Beijing to support the development of China's national education system through textbooks and educational publications.

• Expansion into nationwide basic-education textbook publishing

  [1]People's Education Press official websitepep.com.cn

  Over subsequent decades, PEP became a major publisher of primary- and secondary-school textbooks and related teacher and student materials.

• Development of digital education resources

  [1]People's Education Press official websitepep.com.cn

  The press expanded from printed textbooks into electronic, online, and multimedia resources designed to support teaching and learning.

A national, curriculum-oriented education publisher serving China's basic-education system, with emphasis on textbook authority, subject expertise, teacher support, and large-scale school distribution.

• Basic education textbooks

  Primary-school textbooks

  Curriculum-based textbooks for primary grades, covering subjects such as Chinese language, mathematics, English, science, morality and civics, music, art, and physical education. The materials are designed for classroom use and are commonly accompanied by workbooks, teacher editions, and digital support resources.

• Basic education textbooks

  Junior-secondary textbooks

  Textbook series for lower-secondary education across core academic and civic subjects, including Chinese, mathematics, foreign languages, science, history, geography, and related areas. Content is organized around approved curriculum requirements and is supported by teaching references and practice materials.

• Basic education textbooks

  Senior-secondary textbooks

  Upper-secondary materials covering academic, science, humanities, language, and other school subjects. Their content and structure have developed alongside changes in China's senior-secondary curriculum and textbook review arrangements.

• Foreign-language education

  PEP English course materials

  English-learning textbooks and associated resources for school learners. These materials generally combine student books with practice, audio or multimedia components, teacher guidance, and classroom activities, and have been revised as foreign-language curricula and teaching approaches changed.

• Professional education publishing

  Teacher guides and educational reference books

  Professional materials for teachers and education workers, including lesson-planning support, teaching methodology, curriculum interpretation, subject references, and assessment-related resources. These publications extend the press's role from supplying student books to supporting implementation in schools.

• Digital education

  Digital teaching and learning resources

  Electronic, online, and multimedia resources associated with curriculum materials. Depending on the product, these resources can support classroom presentation, independent study, practice, lesson preparation, and access to supplementary content.

• 2022

  Primary school math textbook illustration controversy and 27 people held accountable

  In 2022, illustrations in People's Education Press primary school mathematics textbooks sparked public controversy. A Ministry of Education investigation found problems with the illustrations' aesthetics, scientific standards, and review and editorial management, held 27 people accountable for dereliction of duty, and required the illustrations to be redrawn; it also found no transfer of economic benefits between the relevant personnel and the illustration designer, and some problematic illustrations circulating online were not part of that textbook.

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Read more

1. 1People's Education Press official websitepep.com.cn
2. 2People's Education Press - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
3. 3China Education Publishing & Media Group official websitecnpubg.com
4. 4产品中心_人民教育出版社pep.com.cn
5. 5人教社多款音像数字产品亮相第十六届中国国际数字出版博览会pep.com.cn
6. 6幼儿师范院校教材 幼儿园玩教具制作pep.com.cn
7. 7Primary school math textbook illustration controversy and 27 people held accountablexinhuanet.com
8. 8Primary school math textbook illustration controversy and 27 people held accountablethepaper.cn