This paper takes the long-term practice of collaborative teaching and research between secondary schools and universities as a case study to explore the construction mechanism of the “history education community” and its empowering role in teaching reform. By presenting the in-depth, multi-year interaction between theoretical researchers in higher education and secondary school practitioners, and transforming this interaction into concrete lesson examples, it achieves an effective translation of theory into teaching practice. This collaborative model not only significantly enhances students’ abilities in historical source verification and historical thinking but also bridges the long-standing gap between educational theory and teaching practice. It offers a replicable paradigm for building a vibrant history education community where theory and practice mutually enrich each other.