This dissertation investigates how the specific nature of subjects (“Fachlichkeit”) is constructed as a knowledge practice, using the example of Chinese as a school subject. From a praxeological perspective, the study, based on extensive and diverse ethnographic data, analyzes the complex and conflictual negotiation processes between various actors that underlie the establishment and consolidation of this school subject. Thus, the study contributes to educational research on the (further) development of school subjects and the constructions of the specific nature of subjects. Furthermore, the study opens new perspectives on the dynamics of the canon of subjects.