Critically appraising China's media reforms, this article discusses several key theoretical issues surfaced in the 30-years of reforms, especially those that constitute the conundrum of the current media reforms. Through this discussion, this article explicates the public nature of the media, arguing that a well-understood publicness of the media must be the basis for setting new goals for the reforms and re-launching the reforms. Media and communication studies in China must offer theoretical resources for the rejuvenation of the reforms. With these ideas, this article also offers a framework to integrate various pieces in the special issue.