Abstract: The problem of students' overburdened academic work in primary and secondary schools has become a stumbling block to the reform and development of basic education in China. Examining the education reforms in the past 70 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and especially through the analysis of the problem of academic burden, we can find that the pressure caused by the lower degree of matching within different levels of education is the main reason. The cultural heritage of Imperial Examination was playing the role of an amplifier on social and psychological aspects. The unreasonable curriculum of primary and secondary schools, unscientific evaluation mechanism, improper teaching method and lack of learning guidance are the internal causes of overburdened academic work. The anomie of the reformation discourse production, fueled by political performance, is an important interference factor in the formation of the reform dilemma of reducing the burden. In the new era, it's necessary to shift the focus from "running key schools" to "building the characteristics of schools", and guide primary and secondary education to take the diversified development path. Also, the pressure of entrance examination may be reduced by adjusting the matching degree of different kinds of education at all levels. In addition, the negative effects of cultural heritage of Imperial Examination can be eliminated through social reform to adjust the interests of the class. In the new era of education reform, the overburdened academic work as a stumbling block can be successfully kicked off, so as to create sound conditions for educating a large number of outstanding talents in support of national development and revival.

Key words: education initiative, education policy, academic burden, basic education