Abstract: As one of the essential components of China-s modern education, legal education in higher education institutions has to concern itself with two issues in order to bring its educational function into full play. First, in terms of the guiding principle, legal education should be distinguished from ideologic al education, and given its due as an integrated and independent system with a f ocus on the cultivation of students- legal awareness; second, in terms of the teaching method, traditional textbook-oriented classroom teaching should dul y incorporate the activity-based teaching mode.