Wheat is one of the most important food crops in the word, but the heat stress hazards for wheat production, especially, flowering and grain filling stage of high temperature stress seriously affect the yield and quality of wheat. This article proposed evaluation indicators of wheat heat tolerance from two aspects, namely direct and indirect identification, and analyzed the temperature signal perception and transmission under heat stress as well as plant responsive mechanism to high temperature. In addition, we summarized the research progress of wheat heat tolerance cultivation from the traditional breeding methods and genetic engineering strategies. In the end, we make a conclusion on improvement measures of the wheat heat tolerance and problems, and put forward the future wheat heat tolerance research prospects.