The paper looked into concepts claimed to be essence of Chinese residential college, an on-going institution presumed to be a solution towards undergraduates' issues in some pioneer universities in China. It's analyzed that Chinese residential college today in China is not a Shuyuan that was ever striving as a unique education mode in ancient China, even if it's named after Shuyuan in Chinese, concerning on its nature, function and goal, while it's not a conventional residential college in English speaking countries neither. By investigation and comparison of its origin, function and features among Shuyuan and Chinese residential college, the spirit of development of a human with goodness and well-being through pursuit of knowledge and culture inherited and transmitted in Shuyuan is unearthed, which is supposed to be the resource of inspiration when the pioneer universities and educators designed and operate residential college on Chinese campus, though the effects couldn't be accounted as appealing as what Shuyuan produced in ancient China. The research aims to depict a real Shuyuan, an education legacy every being alive in Chinese history, which were featured with paramount concepts and values that should be correctly recognized and implemented when there is great concern around undergraduates.