China's formal education system can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty. In ancient times, the only purpose of Chinese education was to produce government officials. After the founding of New China, Chinese government attached great importance to the development of education. A variety of laws have been developed to ensure everybody, from different angles, the right to receive the same quality and level of education. After a few decades of efforts, China sees great achievements in its education. From the early 1980s, China began to stress science and technology in the country's educational system.