This article presents the historical review of environmental education in China. As China's economy began to grow, environmental pollution and ecological destruction initially appeared locally in the early 1980s. These local environmental issues were primarily managed and controlled by state and local environmental protection agencies. In addition, local elementary and middle schools also launched a number of activities to address some local issues. For instance, teachers discussed health related information concerning pollution in certain relevant classroom settings. Furthermore, the author states, that from the standpoint of participation, those who practiced environmental education could be divided into two categories: educators and communicators working for various environmental protection agencies and elementary and middle school teachers. In this article, the author also discusses the contributions made by environmental educators to environmental education in China. The author states, that environmental educators have done a great deal to spread a wide range of basic knowledge to the general public including environmental problems, characteristics, causes and hazards associated with ecological destruction, and connection between global environmental issues and local environmental problems.