English language education has always been accorded chief importance in China since the mid-1980s. In order to ameliorate English teaching quality, China has started divers rounds of English curriculum reform at different levels against the backdrop of the unprecedented spread of English as a lingua franca. Using the texts of the national curriculum documents and the pertinent research literature, this article explores the development of the College English curriculum for non-English majors in Chinese higher institutions over the past three decades. It reviews a number of what is considered as the most important trends linked to the College English curriculum evolution, together with some debate of very controversial issues deriving from this process. The paper’s findings are based on a three-part theoretical framework consisting of social development, students’ needs and knowledge development to distinguish the factors which supply the impetus for change in the College English curricula.