**2. Literature Review**

The terms "liberal arts education" or "general education" are widely discussed throughout the world. The earliest writing that attempted to define "general education" can be traced back to the Reports on the Course of Instruction in Yale College in 1828, in which education is believed to provide an individual with a general foundation in areas that are common for all professions, and not just one specialized profession. The Harvard Committee Report in 1945 defines general education as a part of a student's whole education which looks first of all to his life as a responsible human being and citizen. A review of the current literature in China shows a lack of a coherent and articulated theoretical framework for general education reform [8–10]. This section will discuss the theoretical foundations for this study, which include the functions, approaches, and models of general education, as well as the specific theoretical framework employed in this research.
