This article illustrates the positive role of agricultural engineering development on agricultural modernization in China. Agricultural engineering helps urbanize China, lays the foundation for the integrated operation of agriculture and agricultural modernization, and contributes significantly to the food security and sustainable development of national economy. The higher education system on agricultural engineering has been established, serving agriculture, food sector, ecology and the environment. Thousands of technicians and managerial professionals have been trained. It is noted in the article that government promotion and policy support are the drive for agricultural engineering in China, researchers and technicians and innovation are the key, and industrial development and farmers' demands are the very foundation. Agricultural engineering has effectively facilitated agricultural modernization and has been highly functional in many ways, such as promoting the industrialized operation of agriculture, leading farmers' cooperatives, extending better technologies, applying research results, educating and training farmers, making an efficient use of resources, increasing productivity, upgrading production approaches, making agricultural products more competitive on the market, generating rural local job opportunities and enriching farmers, protecting the environment and improving ecological conservation.