China has 14.77 million teachers working at 520,000 schools and teaching 257 million students at all levels across the country, making its education system the largest in the world, according to new statistics released by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

Liu Limin, vice-minister of education, said at a news conference on Tuesday that both the quantity and quality of teachers in China have improved over the years, with most being young or middle-aged people. The conference was held in the lead-up to China's 30th Teachers' Day on Sept 10.

Rural teachers' living standards have been improved, Liu added, with rural teachers in 20 provinces and regions of China now receiving monthly subsidies.

He also said the ministry will continue implementing a rotating policy for principals and teachers, which enables good teaching resources to transfer to different regions to ensure equity in education.