This article, divided into three parts, will systematically elaborate the authors’ basic viewpoints on the development of China’ s NGO(non-governmental organizations) . According to the authors, NGO refers to non-governmental social organizations, with formal organizational forms, not aimed at seeking profit, with certain autonomy, voluntariness, and for public good or to mutual advantage. As transitional social organizations in the period of economic transition, China’ s NGO include, in the broad sense, the following forms: organizations with members and to public good, organizations of operation type (fund associates), entitative service institutions(non - governmental non - business organizations), economic and social bodies to mutual benefit, a lot of unregistered or indirectly registered groups or circles, public undertakings in transition and mass organizations. What are called NGO arevery active various social,economic, cultural and political lines in China in transition, particularly in sections of social service,environmental protection, supporting the poor by economic development, industrial coordination and policy initiating. But these organizations are generally confronted with the problems of lacking resources,ability, autonomy and balanced development and the germ of these problems is 1) defects in system construction and the basic value during the social transformation, 2) lack of ideas on the part of NGO themselves, 3) the lagging effect of the government reform. On the basis of analysis of 6 opportunities offered to China’s NGO in their development, we propound the matter of two roads that China’s NGOcan follow: autonomy from above and independence from below.
