The realization of this transformation can not be separated from the firm investment and reform of the government and education departments in China, and also from the efforts and struggles of universities and educators. The development of higher education in China can be traced back to 1950s.
At that time, China began to establish an independent higher education system, and gradually expanded the coverage of higher education, realizing the network construction of colleges and universities. During this period, higher education was mainly oriented to ethnic minorities and social elites, achieving a historic breakthrough from scratch.
In the early 1980s, higher education in China began to enter a new stage of development, which was called "the period of popularization". During this period, the coverage and quantity of higher education in China have been greatly expanded, and the number of colleges and universities has also increased dramatically. The development of this period marks that China's higher education has entered a new historical stage and realized the transformation from "a few elites" to "people-oriented".
Since the beginning of this century, China's higher education has entered a new stage of development, that is, the "popularization period". During this period, the coverage of higher education in China has been expanding, and the number of master's and doctoral students has also been increasing. By 2020, the gross enrollment rate of higher education in China will reach 5 1.6%, and the number of colleges and universities will increase from less than 100 to more than 2,800.
In short, China's higher education has achieved a historic leap from popularization to popularization. The realization of this transformation is inseparable from the joint efforts of the government, education departments, universities and educators, which has provided important talent support for China's modernization. At the same time, we should also be soberly aware that in the future development, China's higher education still needs to face many challenges and opportunities, and needs constant reform and innovation to achieve higher quality and more sustainable development.