ABSTRACT Examining the development of China’s global citizenship education (GCE) could enrich the theoretical scope. Based on a three-dimensional national-global-historical framework proposed by the authors, this article aims to examine the vision and limitations of GCE as reflected in official discourse over the years. To do so, content analysis is applied to formulate the three research questions, locate the essential policy and curriculum documents, and complete the four analytical procedures. The findings show a thematically grouping of four stages: traditional citizenship education, paradigm shift, reconstructing framework, and new era reflection. In highlighting the nation’s unique characteristics and multilevelled framework on GCE, the authors point out that new challenges emerged in fostering a sense of unity and diversity among Chinese students by integrating GCE into the national curriculum. In a gesture towards a more inclusive conceptual framework and a more flexible pedagogical approach, they call for a paradigm shift in GCE.