Urban historiography has developed rapidly in the 20th century,and behind it is a tremendous drive to connect city to civilization.Through modern times and world wars,and under the shifting global landscape,we have elevated the position of city from a specific social state to one that represents human civilization.However,does city really represent civilization?This paper reviews the conceptual evolution of the urban history field in Eu-rope,the United States,China and Japan,and rethinks this issue.