The literature review of ESP in China reveals that there has been a fierce controversy over ESP practice in the past 35 years.The key is the orientation of college English.Should it aim to improve students' English proficiency and conduct liberal education or aim to equip students with necessary skills appropriate to the academic studies?It is difficult to implement ESP in the context where political and ideological values prevail and there is general misunderstanding of and even bias against ESP.ESP failure in yesterday and reform in today might usher in its bright tomorrow.As John Dewey comments, "If we teach today's students as we did yesterday's, we are robbing them of tomorrow".