Since late 1990s, China has made smooth progress in ecological conservation and construction. Now, the following characteristics of ecological protection are presented: 1) China is still facing severe challenges in ecological conservation and construction; 2) The advanced areas with extensive growth model and the underdeveloped areas that are ecologically sensitive co-exist in China; and 3) As a country in transition, China needs to explore national pathway for ecological protection, while facing the trends of being institutionalized, integrated and necessitated for the global ecological protection efforts. The key of ecological protection in China is to seek an optimal model and an effective pathway which can balance economic growth and environmental protection, to recognize the difference and non-replicability of ecosystems, and to effectively combine the institutional development and engineering construction of ecological protection.