In the ancient literature of China, the word "education" first appeared in Mencius: "Educate the world's talents". Shuowen Jiezi explains that "teaching is the upward effect" and "educating and raising children to do good". China has always been education-oriented. For thousands of years, it has been full of string songs and splendid civilization, which is attributed to the contribution of culture and education. However, China's modern higher education, in terms of educational theory, educational system, school-running practice and most educational contents, originated in the late Qing Dynasty and was introduced from abroad. Modern higher education refers to the education implemented on the basis of completing high school education. The fundamental task of higher education is to train specialized talents, conduct scientific research and serve the society. Generally speaking, Tianjin Chinese and Western School, Shanghai Nanyang College and Shi Jing University, which were established at the end of 19, are the embryonic forms of modern universities in China. Before the May 4th Movement, China's higher education was basically "taking Japan as a teacher". For example, the first modern Guimao Academic System promulgated by the Qing government, including higher education, is almost consistent with the relevant provisions in the Japanese academic system; The first article of the Constitution of Shi Jing University Hall is that Liang Qichao "slightly adopted Japanese learning rules and drew up more than 80 articles with reference to domestic conditions". As for the result that the educational model of modern Japan was copied to China, General Jiang Fangzhen once commented: China introduced two things from Japan in modern times, both of which killed people, one was the army and the other was education. In the past, Shankui was hired as a guest and gentleman of the governor, but now Zagreb is in charge, so it is not enough to be a lackey for the governor. So I used to be a teacher in heaven and earth, and now I'm a grocery store man. "The general's words are like a war, depicting the drawbacks of the bureaucratic education system to the fullest. Today's people saw it and sighed at the same time! During the May 4th Movement, China people were alert. Accompanied by the anti-imperialist and anti-feudal revolutionary voice, represented by the school-running policy of "freedom of thought and inclusiveness" advocated by President Cai Yuanpei of Peking University, China's higher education conforms to the trend of the times and the needs of social revolution, actively cultivates students' independent, open and progressive thoughts and spirit, and provides an important ideological weapon and spiritual power for the vigorous rise and victory of the May 4th Movement, and has entered a stage of development full of vitality. Among them, the most representative national Southwest Associated University trained a large number of outstanding talents with the training of "perseverance" in the arduous eight-year war of resistance. Under the circumstances of extremely scarce material conditions and internal and external troubles, there are China scholars who won the Nobel Prize at the earliest, academic masters and literary masters who are well-known at home and abroad, founders of science and technology with two bombs and one satellite in China, and experts from all walks of life. "In the history of higher education in China and in the history of higher education in the world, National Southwest Associated University is a miracle, an eternal glory and monument". However, due to the darkness and decay of the reactionary rule of warlords and Kuomintang, on the whole, China's higher education in this period could only maintain a small scale and the system could not be perfected. After the founding of New China, the higher education was reformed and rebuilt on a large scale, and a new educational system and model was established with reference to the Soviet model. Its basic characteristics are: highly centralized and unified planning management is implemented for education, and the education plan is closely related to the national economic construction plan; The focus of education is engineering and science and technology directly related to economic construction; Reduce comprehensive universities and focus on developing specialized colleges. In an era when the average education level of our population is low and there is a serious shortage of all kinds of professionals, this "professional education" model has indeed cultivated a large number of professionals urgently needed for national construction in a relatively short period of time, and has quickly become the backbone of construction and scientific research, making great contributions to the new China, which is in urgent need. From 65438 to 0977, with the end of the ten-year catastrophe, the deepening of reform and opening up and the transformation of economic system, China's higher education has entered a brand-new stage of development, and has made unprecedented progress in many aspects, but the effect is still unsatisfactory-as Qian Lao said, "outstanding talents cannot be cultivated." The author believes that the first condition for the development of a country's higher education system is to establish a talent demand goal suitable for its social, economic and cultural reality and long-term development direction, that is, what kind of talents are needed at present and in the future, and how to cultivate them, so as to establish its guiding ideology of higher education; The second is to provide necessary input for higher education, maintain its operation and promote its development. With clear guiding ideology and sufficient material conditions, the higher education system can establish and improve its own structure and operation mechanism, carry out teaching and research systematically, gradually form its own academic accumulation and tradition, and build its own scientific system. On this basis, it can be said that we can communicate with our international counterparts on an equal footing, learn from each other's strengths, and make innovations and breakthroughs in some fields. Looking back on the vicissitudes of China's modern higher education for more than 100 years, it coincides with a rare era of great changes in political system, social form and economic system in China's history. The demand of the country and society for higher education is always in a state of constant development and change, which leads to the constant change and even a fundamental turn of the guiding ideology of higher education. The educational system, structure and mode are constantly adjusted and even rebuilt, and higher education can never follow a certain direction to achieve full development.