In the context of the political and economic history of modern China, “break through ‘1949’” was raised by the historian of North America in the early 1990s, which was depended on the current situation of China, new materials and the researching path in historiography. Although the context and researching intention is different between the historian from mainland China and other regions, they almost simultaneously present the “1950s’ China” as a vital subject after “break through ‘1949’” in between 2000s. The phenomenon of “discontinuity/continuity” is the key issue in this research field, and greatly influences the urban social and cultural history in 1950s China, which is particularly intertwined with revolutionary history, everyday life, “state-society” and popular culture in urban space. After reviewing the researching history and major topics, this paper will discuss about the elements beyond the cities, which may be a possible researching direction in the future.