Drawing on a systematic review of the concepts and evaluation criteria for agricultural powerhouses worldwide, this paper analyzes how agricultural power emerges, its core features, and its future development trajectory. It then examines China’s historical status and prospects within the global context of agricultural powers in light of the nation’s current circumstances. The research finds that widely recognized agricultural powers—such as the United States and the Netherlands—typically possess advanced socio-economic backgrounds, agricultural labor productivity levels comparable to those in other sectors, and influential agricultural products in global markets. To clarify the underlying mechanism by which agricultural powerhouses take shape, this paper introduces a “starting point-process” analytical framework, illuminating the role of initial endowments and evolutionary processes in molding an agricultural powerhouse. Given the coexistence of numerous smallholder subsistence farms and specialized, large-scale agricultural operations in China, this study argues that facilitating the accelerated exit of traditional small-scale farming and achieving scaled, technology-driven operations are critical steps toward establishing China as an agricultural powerhouse. At the same time, strengthening social security, refining factor markets, and expanding agricultural social services can bolster competitiveness while keeping social costs under control. With the ongoing progress of Chinese-style modernization, China is poised to overcome its current structural constraints within a relatively short time and advance from a major agricultural nation to a true agricultural power.