With the wish to correct the overly competition-oriented tendency in 12-year Basic Education, this essay inquires into the contents of core competencies of Life Education and their influences on General Curriculum Guidelines of 12-year Basic Education. To this purpose, this essay begins with a discussion on the issue of how to define Life Education in formal curriculum and its role in 12-year Basic Education. Secondly, the contents of core competencies of Life Education are introduced and explained. At last, for the realization of the ideal of holistic education, the impacts of the Life Education as defi ned in this essay on the development of General Curriculum Guidelines of 12-year Basic Education are presented.