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Symbiotic Shadows: Institutional Parasitism and the Fieldwork from Art Admission Tutoring World in China

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Title: Symbiotic Shadows: Institutional Parasitism and the Fieldwork from Art Admission Tutoring World in China
Language: English
Authors: Chao Cheng (ORCID 0000-0002-3680-0822)
Source: Anthropology & Education Quarterly. 2026 57(1).
Availability: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 15
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Art Education, Tutoring, Arts Centers, Admission (School), Organizational Change, Institutional Characteristics, Deception, Organizational Development
Geographic Terms: China
DOI: 10.1111/aeq.70050
ISSN: 0161-7761
1548-1492
Abstract: Drawing on 20 months of ethnographic fieldwork in a leading art tutorial organization in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, this paper traces how China's art tutoring organizations emerge, evolve, and proliferate as parasitic formations within the art admission ("Yi Kao") institution. Using the theoretical lens of institutional parasitism, the study shows that their emergence is rooted in the institutional opacity of the art admission institution, combined with the coerced demand for tutorial services and their corresponding supply. These organizations strategically exploit the spaces created by institutional decoupling to transform from peripheral service providers into embedded institutional parasites. They construct privileged pathways, propagate the myth of a shortcut to elite status, and standardize test-taking techniques to reinforce their indispensability. Their proliferation is further sustained through producing ignorance, exploiting tolerance, and colluding for lucrativeness, which collectively normalize moral compromise and institutional hybridity. Overall, these findings suggest that the organizations' expansion is driven by the coexistence of systemic opacity, moral pragmatism, and collusion between market and state actors, revealing how neoliberal pressures shape the legitimacy and ethical foundations of educational institutions.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1496100
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
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  Data: Symbiotic Shadows: Institutional Parasitism and the Fieldwork from Art Admission Tutoring World in China
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chao+Cheng%22">Chao Cheng</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3680-0822">0000-0002-3680-0822</externalLink>)
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  Data: Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Art+Education%22">Art Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tutoring%22">Tutoring</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arts+Centers%22">Arts Centers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Admission+%28School%29%22">Admission (School)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+Change%22">Organizational Change</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Institutional+Characteristics%22">Institutional Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Deception%22">Deception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Organizational+Development%22">Organizational Development</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22China%22">China</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1111/aeq.70050
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  Data: Drawing on 20 months of ethnographic fieldwork in a leading art tutorial organization in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, this paper traces how China's art tutoring organizations emerge, evolve, and proliferate as parasitic formations within the art admission ("Yi Kao") institution. Using the theoretical lens of institutional parasitism, the study shows that their emergence is rooted in the institutional opacity of the art admission institution, combined with the coerced demand for tutorial services and their corresponding supply. These organizations strategically exploit the spaces created by institutional decoupling to transform from peripheral service providers into embedded institutional parasites. They construct privileged pathways, propagate the myth of a shortcut to elite status, and standardize test-taking techniques to reinforce their indispensability. Their proliferation is further sustained through producing ignorance, exploiting tolerance, and colluding for lucrativeness, which collectively normalize moral compromise and institutional hybridity. Overall, these findings suggest that the organizations' expansion is driven by the coexistence of systemic opacity, moral pragmatism, and collusion between market and state actors, revealing how neoliberal pressures shape the legitimacy and ethical foundations of educational institutions.
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      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Art Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tutoring
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Arts Centers
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      – SubjectFull: Admission (School)
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      – SubjectFull: Organizational Change
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      – SubjectFull: Institutional Characteristics
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      – SubjectFull: Organizational Development
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      – SubjectFull: China
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