Moral education in the People's Republic of China is dominated by ideological-political orientations. However, in the last 30 years China has experienced extensive economic reform, bringing about many social changes, such as decreasing reliance on the state-owned workplace, increasing private property ownership and enhancement of the rule of law. Such changes have inevitably influenced personal, societal and ideological values, and consequently had an impact on individual moral beliefs and behaviour. In this paper I analyse the decline of socialist ideology, revolutionary morality and ideological work in contemporary China so as to provide a background to current Chinese moral education policies and practices. I illuminate some inherent contradictions and ambiguities in the changing ideological-political orientations by reference to some personal and professional experiences.