On the basis of 11 dimensions of Martin Trow’s about the development of higher education,and by reference to the three categories that Zhangli and Liu Yarong summarized,this article analyzes the realistic characteristics and oughtness choice of high- er education in China which has just stepped into the popularization stage. At present,China’s higher education presents several char- acteristics of country and national conditions in terms of the basic form,the college management and the teaching organization. Based on the year 2020 and towards the year 2035,we should focus on building a regionally balanced and well - formed higher education sys- tem,comprehensively promoting the modernization of the internal governance system and governance capacity of colleges and universi- ties,actively creating an ecosystem of higher education organizations with balanced supply and demand,and constantly exploring the development path of higher education popularization with Chinese characteristics.