This article summarizes the history of social stratification research in China during the past three decades. In narrating the history，the author emphasizes the interaction between socio-economic change，ideological shift，and the development of this academic field. By so doing，the author illustrates how social stratification research has never been regarded as purely intellectual pursuit in China as it has always been characterized as something practical that can be quickly translated into policy suggestions. This characterization not only determined the choice of topics and theoretical frameworks of researchers in this field but also the enormous attention their works has drawn from the general public as well as from policy-makers. Also，it constitutes a great pressure that keeps on pushing the advancement of this field.