This paper charts the historical and political contexts for the evolution of Chinese adult and continuing education over the past 40 years, focusing on the national adult education reforms and relevant policies, and establishing the national lifelong education system. The progress and transformations of Chinese adult education, including how purposes and roles of adult education have been defined and adjusted to meet the needs, is situated and contextualized in the three main eras, under four Chinese leaderships to clearly understand each ideological foundation and national strategic plan. Reflections on the changes in the Chinese adult education landscape lead to some theoretical understandings of China's ideological shifts and a focus that moved from adult education to vocational and adult education, toward building a lifelong education system, serving the realization of the China Dream, through the current Xi's One Belt and One Road national initiative. Finally, this paper concludes and shares implications.