Abstract: Photoinhibition is currently the highlight of photosynthesis research of higher plants. Great progress in the the mechanism of photoinhibition has been made in recent years. In this article, we briefly review the history of photoinhibition research and elucidate the modern photoinhibition theory, which comprises two aspects: dissipation of excess photon energy and damage of photosynthetic apparatus caused by excess photon energy. The xanthophyll cycle, photorespiration, LHCII phosphorylation, PSII photochemical reactivity and other major photoprotective mechachisms involving carotenoid and Cytb559 are discussed, with recent advances in studies on these photoprotective mechanisms highlighted. Finally, the current view on the original destructive point and the new theory on photodamage are summarized.