A months-long investigation by an education ministry task force found the books were not “beautiful” and some illustrations were “quite ugly” and did not “properly reflect the sunny image of China’s children”. The math books were published by People’s Education Press nearly 10 years ago and were reportedly used in elementary schools across the country. But they went viral in May after a teacher posted photos of the images inside, including people with disfigured faces and bulging pants, photos of boys grabbing girls’ skirts and at least one child with visible leg tattoos. Social media users were largely amused by the illustrations, but many also criticized them for bringing disrepute and “cultural annihilation” to China, speculating that it was the deliberate work of Western education infiltrators. The related hashtags were viewed billions of times, embarrassing the Communist Party and education authorities who announced a review of all textbooks “to ensure that textbooks conform to the correct political direction and value orientation.” In a lengthy statement released Monday, education authorities said 27 people were found to have “neglected their duties and responsibilities” and were disciplined, including the publishing house’s president, who received formal demerits, which may affect a party member’s position and future employment. The editor-in-chief and the head of the math department’s editorial office were also given demerits and dismissed from their roles. The statement said illustrators and designers were treated accordingly, but did not elaborate. They and their studios will no longer be involved in textbook design or related work, it said. The highly critical statement found a number of issues with the books, including criticizing the size, quantity and quality of illustrations, some of which had “scientific and regulatory problems”. The results of the survey were seen and discussed by hundreds of millions of people on Weibo, with some questioning whether the punishments went far enough. Additional reporting by Xiaoqian Zhu
