After Taiwan's return to Chinese rule in 1945, its cultural and educational policy was aimed at modernization and a strengthening of Chinese culture.

For the first two decades, the administrative goal of Chinese cultural development focused on erasing the colonial influence of Japanese culture and education, promoting the use of Mandarin, and strengthening education in Chinese culture. In the years after 1966, Taiwan worked to create a Chinese cultural renaissance in contrast to the mainland's Cultural Revolution, which called for the destruction of the "four olds," namely old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits.

In 1953, ROC President Chiang Kai-shek issued the "Two Supplementary Chapters on Education and Entertainment in the Principle of People's Livelihood," a committee for the Chinese Arts and Cultural Award was established, and a move to promote art and literature was launched. In 1965, the Ministry of National Defense convened the first National Armed Forces Art and Literature Convention to promote this movement within the military. In 1967, a plenary session of the Kuomintang Central Committee formulated a policy that advocated the vigorous promotion of new arts and literary development based on Dr. Sun Yat-sen's Three Principles of the People and aimed at recovering the mainland and rebuilding China. The first national art and literature convention was held in 1968. At the second convention in 1977, the government was encouraged to set forth directives for the long-term development of art and literature and the integration of social forces for the promotion of cultural activities.

An overview of the period from the 1950s to the 1970s shows that cultural promotion was focused, in essence, on promoting Chinese culture as a way to resist the communist regime on the mainland. This work was carried out mainly by the Chinese Cultural Renaissance Movement Promotion Committee, the Kuomintang Central Committee, and later by its Department of Cultural Affairs. It was not until 1981 that the Executive Yuan established the Council for Cultural Affairs (then known as the Council for Cultural Planning and Development) to handle related affairs. In 1980, Premier Chiang Ching-kuo, acknowledging that a modern nation should not only ensure an abundant material life but also a healthy spiritual life for its citizens, announced that cultural enhancement would be incorporated in the Twelve New Development Projects once the Ten Major Construction Projects were completed. Throughout the period, cultural development was not among the top priorities. While the nation was pursuing political and economic modernization, its cultural emphasis was first laid on the dissemination of Chinese culture before shifting slowly to cultural development.

Nonetheless, in the early stages, Taiwan's political and economic modernization was already having a tremendous impact on its cultural and educational environment. As the island continued to build on the economic foundations laid toward the end of the 19th century and the educational system instituted during the Japanese colonial period, it was able to coordinate economic advancement with cultural and educational development.

For four decades, this educational policy saw a quantitative expansion in Taiwan. By 1988, the number of teachers and schools had increased seven and 4.45 times, respectively, while the number of students accounted for more than a quarter of the population. These numbers have continued to grow.

Such expansion was not accidental, but rather the outcome of a carefully planned policy. In 1950, the Taiwan Provincial Department of Education formulated the Education Guidelines Implementation Rules for the Emergency Period in Taiwan Province, while the Ministry of Education promulgated a set of Implementation Guidelines for Nation-building Education during the Communist Rebellion. Since the government's objective was to recover the Chinese mainland from the communists, the educational emphasis was placed on fostering ethnic spirit and patriotic sentiment, and developing military skills and techniques. However, beginning in 1953, the government vigorously launched a series of four-year economic plans and shifted its goal of recovering the mainland toward developing Taiwan's economy.

The government's policy on education was in line with the prevailing world trend of modernization. In order to enhance human resources, upgrade the levels of economic development, and provide citizens with better and broader education, the Ministry of Education adopted a number of measures. Beginning in 1956, it strengthened the curricula, provided greater educational opportunities for the young generation, and laid the ground for an extension of compulsory education. Major concrete measures included the planning and implementation of the Plan to Develop Junior High School Education, the Plan for the Advancement of Elementary School Graduates to Junior High School, the Rules on the Waiving of the General Knowledge Examination for Admission into Junior High School, and the Policy on the Establishment of Senior High Schools by the Provincial Government and Junior High Schools by the County or Provincial Municipality Governments. In 1968, compulsory education was extended from six years to nine years. Eight years later, the government implemented a Five-year Plan for the Development and Improvement of Compulsory Education.