I. Preface
Educational technology is an important indicator for the modernization of Chinese education. The leaders of the Chinese government have paid much attention to educational technology in the past 20 years of reform and opening-up. Many leaders of the country, such as Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Li Lanqing wrote inscriptions and issued important instructions for satellite education and modern distance education. The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council emphasized at the third national meeting on education that more importance should be attached to modern educational technology and it should be greatly modernized, and educational information system should also be greatly promoted. The development of educational technology, as an important task in the modernization of Chinese education, is under way under the direct leadership of the ministers of education.


Chinese educational technology first started with college audio-visual programs in l920's in the School of Agriculture of Jinling University, In l 922, they used slides and films with oral explanations recorded on phonograph to publicize the scientific methods for cotton-planting. Audio-visual education was developed in various schools at all levels after l 949. Radio and television universities were successively established in Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenyang in l 960. Educational technology was greatly developed after the implementation of reform and open to the outside world policies. The State Council approved to set up the Central Radio and Television University (CRTVU) and the Central Audio-visual Center in China in 1978. After that radio and television universities and audio-visual centers were restored or established in provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government and separate planning cities (except Tibet). China Educational Television Station was set up in 1986 and provincial educational television stations were established in Liaoning, Jilin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Fujian, Jiangxi, Ningxia, Xinjiang and other provinces, cities and autonomous regions.


II. Modern Distance Education
Chinese distance education started from correspondence education in 1950's, The radio and television universities and colleges were widespread in the country by the end of l970's and the net of satellite education took shape in 1980's. With the spread of information technology in l990's, computer multimedia technology and network are used in distance education and merged with satellite education, which has led to a much faster development of distance education.


Radio and television universities are the first distance education universities to use electronic communication technology. The main tasks are to offer sub-degree programs and supply programs for vocational and technical education, in-service training, vocational training and continuing education. The tertiary level of teaching and management of the country's radio and television universities are conducted under the overall planning, 468 specialties including literature, economics, politics, law, science, engineering, medicing, agriculture, art, physical education and teacher training are established one after another. The radio and television education system consisting of the CRTVU, 44 provincial radio and television universities, 831 municipal-level radio and television universities (branches), and 1699 county-level branches, has formed through twenty years' efforts. According to the 1997 statistics, the total number of graduates of three-year radio and television colleges has reached 2,313,800 and the total enrollment has reached over 700,000. The total number of graduates of specialized secondary schools has reached over 1, 000, 000 and the total enrollment has reached over 400,000. The total number of all kinds of non- degree educational graduates has reached over 30 million. Practical- skills training has been offered to millions of farmers. From 1996, the CRTVU has organized the education programs from sub-degree programs to degree programs and some experimental higher vocational education and admission of students on a trial basis. The progress of open education and modernization has been speeded up.


The Action Scheme for Invigorating Education towards the 21st Century proved by the State Council in 1999 regarded modern distance education as one of the key projects. The target of the project is to set up initially the modern distance education network, to construct a series of backbone courses and to search for a teaching and administration pattern suitable for China's modern distance education through three years of efforts. The network with complete structures will be formed by 2010 to meet the need of education and life-long education system will be set up. Based on educational science and research net and making use of the country's telecommunication net and cable television net, the professional platform has formed through upgrading and conforming. The main tasks are: develop continuing education; provide teaching resources for school's teaching and students' self-learning, improve teaching in poor regions; make higher education accessible to more people and raise the literary level of the public. The Decision on Strengthening Educational Reform and Boosting Education of Overall Qualification, which was promulgated by the State Council and the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, points out that the government supports the construction of modern distance education based on China educational science and research net and satellite education system and strengthens the construction of practical terminal platform system and compus net or regional net£» provides opportunities of life-long education for the public with modern distance education and provides education suitable for the necessity of rural and outlying districts. In order to search for the proper modern distance education patterns and to better the modern distance education system, Tsinghua University, Beijing Post and Telecommunication University, Zhejiang University and Hunan University were designated as the key experimental universities and the relevant experiments are being carried out at present.


III. Educational Technology on Campus
The educational technology on campus has been greatly developed since 1978. The regular higher education institutions have set up special organizations (centers, departments and offices) and the education technology is widely spread. 95% of the regular senior secondary schools and secondary colleges set up the organizations as well. Quite a few secondary and primary schools have been equipped with special offices and personnel and the number of people engaged in this field amounted to over 200,000. Most universities and colleges, and middle schools in cities have installed close circuit system. Computer as supplementary teaching equipment is gradually used in schools. In recent years, multi-media computers and regional net on campus are continuously established and widely used in some schools in the developed cities. Teaching slides, projective films, recorder and videos for all disciplines have formed a complete series in secondary and primary schools. The complementary television textbooks and multimedia software co-edited by higher education institutions are widely used in teaching. The Decision on Strengthening Educational Reform and Boosting Education of Overall Qualification emphasized that "Computer and information technology education should be spread in senior secondary schools and some qualified junior secondary and primary schools. All the higher education institutions and key secondary vocational schools should establish the educational science and research net, and secondary and primary schools will establish it step by step."


The Ministry of Education decided in 1997 to set up 1000 experimental schools for modern educational technology. All of them should make full use of modern educational technology, to promote the development and reform of basic education. The overall education of qualities in secondary and primary schools is strengthened as well. It also affects the searching for more effective teaching patterns. 433 secondary and primary schools are confirmed to be the first group of experimental schools in January, 1998. They have yielded fruitful results at stage in the experimental work of research in disciplines, knowledge acquisition, and skill-training.


The educational technology is developed as well in vocational schools and adult-education schools. The use of educational technology in vocational schools in rural areas has made up for the shortage of teachers and textbooks. Great achievements have been made through the spreading of practical skills by video in many county based vocational schools. The technique levels and awareness of science and literacy rate of the peasants are greatly improved through watching video programs.


Quite a few schools in minority regions have adopted the supplemental methods, such as projective films, slides, movies, recorders, videos and satellite teaching programs, which have improved the teaching environment and qualities, and solved difficulties in teaching. The students' vision has been broadened as well.


Over thirty higher education institutions have offered educational technology specialties to promote the development of educational technology. About ten institutions offer master programs and three offer doctoral programs, Different levels of personnel training consisting of sub-degree, undergraduate, master and doctoral programs are formed. The supply of educational personnel has strengthened the work of educational technology. Instructive Committee of Higher Education Institutions for Educational Technology is organized by the Ministry of Education. It is responsible for instructing the teaching of educational technology.


IV. System of Satellite Education
Satellite education channel 1 started broadcasting programs on October 1, 1986. 1987 witness the establishment of China Education Television (CETV) and the second and third channels followed up in l 988 and 1994 responsible for transmitting educational programs. The contents include degree education of radio and television universities, continuing education after graduation, training and continuing education for teachers and principals, secondary specialties and vocational education, practical-skill training courses for peasants. Channel 1 broadcasts educational news and comprehensive educational programs. Channel 2 focuses on the courses of CRTVU. The programs of Channel 3 mainly for spreading the nine-year compulsory education are jointly run by the Ministry of Education and the government of Shandong Province. Beijing Educational Channel (channel 35) that covers the whole area was established 6y CETV in October, 1996.


Over 940 television stations, and reception and relay stations, 10,000 satellite stations and 66,000 video stations had been established in the Chinese educational system by the end of 1997.The three CETV channels broadcast 47 hours per day covering 80% of regional cities and towns.


Satellite communication technology presents its special advantages and vitality. Its use in education brings new vigor to education. It widens the teaching scale and contents of radio and television universities. It improves the development of training for secondary and primary teachers and of vocational education. It pushes forward the educational reform and economic and educational development of outlying regions.


Our country is making efforts on transforming the educational satellite net to digital, interactive and Ku wave system with the development of information technology. The feedback system is coming into use by making full use of the net resources, Interactive teaching and transformed educational satellite net will play and important role in the country's distance education.


Construction of Electronic Audio-visual Teaching Materials
Electronic teaching materials are a main part of modern teaching materials and also the key link of educational technology. They become more and more important with the use of high-tech in the field of education. The contents include basic education, higher education, vocational education and radio and TV education. The media include movies, projective films, slides, tape recorders, videos and laser disks, complementary teaching software and the written textbooks for these materials.


A specific requirement was made at the third national meeting on education, which is to take measures to develop excellent teaching software. The Ministry of Education has made clearly the principles, requirements, and tasks and responsibilities. The examination, evaluation, rewards, publication and circulation management and exchange of collection, and compiling teams are all definitely regulated. The offices in charge make unified planning for the electronic teaching materials. The compiling teams consist of frontier teachers, specialists and educational technology personnel. Profound researches are made on the compiling. The frontier teachers are encouraged to edit themselves. The compiling teams are made full use. The compiling job and its proficiency are promoted. The Ministry of Education has organized national examination and rewards activities many times. Excellent electronic teaching materials are rewarded and the markets are standardized through activities. There are 45 publishing houses in the field of education. Different readers can find what they want from thousands of electronic materials published every year.


V. Administration of Educational Technology
Audio-visual Education Office in the Ministry of Education supervises the country's modern distance education, schools' educational technology and educational television station. It coordinates the administration of the CRTVU, the Central Audio-visual Center and CETV. The education departments of different ministries of the State Council are responsible for the administration of educational technology in their own system. The relevant organization exists in the education departments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government. The administration of educational technology is strengthened.


The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, the State Council and the Ministry of Education promulgated series of regulations to spervise and regulate the development of educational technology. Education Law of the People's Republic of China stipulated that the government above county-level should give priority to satellite education and other modern teaching measures. The central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council promulgated the Program for Chinese Education reform and Development, which points out that positive support should be given to radio and TV education and schools' audio-visual education. The modern teaching measures should be spread. The construction of satellite reception and transmission network should be strengthened. Television teaching net covering most of the villages and outlying regions will be basically completed by the end of the century. The Ministry of Education regulated the Ninth Five-year Plan for National Audio-visual Education, in Which the tasks and targets are specified. The open up and modernization of teaching in radio and television universities should be speeded. Levels of education technology and quality of the educational television programs should be promoted. The electronic teaching materials system should be formed. The research on educational technology should be deepened. The Decision on Strengthening Educational Reform and Promoting Education of Overall Qualities issued by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the State Council emphasized that the colorful audio-visual education and complementary computer education should be continued by making full use of the existing resources and electronic measures. The third national meeting on education shares the same opinion.


China has always paid attention to the function of non-governmental organizations. The Chinese Audiovisual Educational Association is a mass organization for the country's educational technology staff. It has expanded to l00-odd group members in the eight-year history of the organization. Teachers and educational technology staff of universities including Tsinghua University, Peking University, and a large number of secondary and primary schools took active part in the theoretical research and compiling. Mass academic activities boosted the development of educational technology in China. International Exchange and Cooperation of Educational Technology China has developed international exchange and cooperation with many countries and regions and has attended meetings of international distance education and educational technology, such as the annual meeting of International Distance Education Council, the Asia and Pacific Educational Technology Symposium. China held Some international meetings as well including the seminars of UNESCO on distance education. China has sent delegations to visit more than ten countries and regions such as England, the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia, France and Germany and thousands of representatives from over ten countries and international organizations have been invited to visit China. Bilateral agreements are signed with Canada and France respectively.


The CRTVU became a member of Asian Association of 0pen University (AAOU) in l993. It has attended the annual meetings many times of the International Committee of Distance Education (ICDE) since its entrance to the committee. What is more, it has developed wide program cooperation with England, America, Canada and Japan. It compiled Basic Japanese, a multi-media material for language courses, with NHK and English Courses with English language specialists. The three courses of Modern Enterprise Finance and Economy, Management and Analysis of Enterprise Finance and Marketing, have produced very good effects. The CRTVU will hold the AAOU's 14th annual meeting in October, 1999.


The Audio-visual Education Office of the Ministry of Education organized the distance education programs in 65 counties (most are poverty-stricken and minority regions) with the United Nations Children's Fund. Some counties have carried out special training programs on medical care, environment protection, women and children. The contents are widened and achievements have been made. Strengthening the training of primary school teachers through distance education are jointly conducted by the Audio-visual Education Office of the Ministry of Education and UNESC0, Asia Bank of Development. It has positive effects at home and abroad. Non-governmental contact has been established by China Audio-visual Education Association with its counterparts in the world such as the American Association of Education Communication and Technology (AECT).