Abstract: This article focuses on the non-agricultural transfer of rural labor in China since the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, making a specific analysis in the following three ways: first, this paper reviews the five historic stages of non-agricultural transfer of rural labor, summarizing the size and changing trends of the rural labor force that were transferred to the non-agricultural industry; second, starting from the external driving force of labor transfer, this paper systematically teases out the government's settings and transformations regarding population mobility policies and labor policies; finally, starting from the internal driving force of labor transfer, this paper analyzes the changing trends of migrant workers' social mentality. On this basis, this paper looks ahead to the trends and directions of the non-agricultural transfer of rural labor in the future, clarifying some points that the government must attend to in the management of the labor force from the perspective of social governance.