The astronomical number of people learning English in China and a small proportion of success stories mean a practical demand of research that focuses on learning how to learn.Research interest in language learning strategies started in China in the early 1990 sand gradually gained momentum and peaked around twenty years later.The staggering amount of publications on the topic,however,has not produced the expected impact on learning and teaching,mainly because of the fact that the research has not been well applied.Meanwhile,a few findings can be said to have been over applied.These mainly include an over-emphasis on memory strate gies and on the intentional learning of explicit knowledge.Luckily,some research findings have been well applied.Apartfrom providing many insights into strategic learning,research on language learning strategies has seen its salient impact on the national curriculum for basic education and on the textbooks.It is contended that researchers should re-orientate our research agenda from knowledge accumulation to knowledge application,and from facilitating learning to empowering learners. The astronomical number of people learning English in China and a small proportion of success stories mean a practical demand of research that focuses on learning how to learn. Research interest in language learning strategies started in China in the early 1990 sand gradually successfully momentum and peaked around twenty years later.The staggering amount of publications on the topic, however, has not produced the expected impact on learning and teaching, primarily because of the fact that the research has not been well applied .Meanwhile, a few findings can be said to have have been over applied. These primarily include an over-emphasis on memory strategies and on the intentional learning of explicit knowledge. Luckily, some research findings have been well applied. Apart from providing many insights into strategic learning, research on language learning strategies has seen its salient impact on the national curriculum for basic education and on the textbook. It is contended that researchers should re-orientate our research agenda from knowledge accumulation to knowledge application, and from facilitating learning to empowering learners.