The historical development of background of general education was briefly described and difficulties and challenges under the background of national higher education were analyzed. Based on the case of general education in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University, development strategies of the general education were discussed from five aspects, including constructing the course structure scientifically to achieve optimal resources allocation, organizing the course content scientifically to achieve a comprehensive collaborative development, planning the curriculum system to achieve the organic growth of the core, integrating disciplines to promote cultural communication, and adjusting the teaching direction to achieve mental training.