As an academic organization, academic power is the basic link to support and sustain the development of universities. The operation of academic power is not only an important part of university internal governance, but also an important part of the construction of modern university system. Through historical review, this study finds that the development of university academic power in China shows a general rule from "latent" to "apparent", from the attachment of administrative power to gradual independence. However, because of the different characteristics of each historical stage, the position and function of academic power in universities are also different. Now, there are still some problems in the operation of academic power in China. In the future, we need to learn from the historical development, to further enhance the authority of academic power in the internal governance of universities, and to strengthen the construction of academic organizations such as academic committees.