This study aims to investigate the influence of art teacher core quality improvement on student learning motivation and education policy in Chinese universities. The study also explores the moderating roles of classroom well-being and research-derived knowledge in these relationships. Data was collected through a closed-ended questionnaire from 376 art teachers in Chinese universities using simple random sampling. The findings of the study reveal that art teacher core quality improvement has a significant impact on both student learning motivation and education policy in Chinese universities. Therefore, this study provides evidence for the importance of investing in art teacher core quality improvement to enhance student motivation and shape education policies in Chinese universities. Moreover, the study reveals that classroom well-being moderates the relationship between art teacher core quality improvement and student learning motivation. This implies that creating a positive and supportive learning environment is critical to improve students' motivation. Furthermore, the study shows that research-derived knowledge moderates the relationship between art teacher core quality improvement and education policy. This suggests that teachers who have research-derived knowledge are more likely to implement effective education policies. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights for art teachers and policymakers to improve student learning motivation and education policy in Chinese universities. However, the study's limitations include the fact that data was collected only from art teachers, and future studies should consider collecting data from other disciplines.