This paper aims to explore and interpret the recent progress，limits and institutional constraints of social policy from a historical institutionalism perspective after providing a fundamental understanding on the ideas of welfare in Chinese society. Based on the oretical discussion and empirical data analysis，the author concludes that institutional foundations and practical logic of social policy in China exactly not only reflect the principle of order in authoritarian traditional Confucian culture，but also a growing significance of state-building and institutional legitimacy in the context of changing global political and economic context.