Purpose: The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to introduce the overall situation of online teacher training in China, and then to analyze some typical state level e-training projects; second, to describe the problems that most teacher training agencies (TTAs) have. Also, this article presents the background, process and achievement of a practical model--e-Training Community (eTC)--which integrates the advantages of professional organizations and TTAs. Design/methodology/approach: This article reviews literature related to Ministry of Education (MOE) policies and general reviews or reports about China's teacher e-training. The case study approach is applied in this study. The e-Training Community is a particular cooperative model developed by the Distance Education College of East China Normal University. A survey and interview are applied to gain deep understanding of this model. Findings: E-learning is an effective way for teacher education in China to meet the challenge of massive and routine training. The recent projects initiated by MOE show that the trend of e-training is on the right track. However, China's teacher e-training still has a long way to go because most TTAs still do not have the ability to implement e-training by themselves. The eTC model presented in this article shows its strength in solving this problem. Practical implications: The development of distance education needs professional guidance. How to integrate professional strength of universities and practical strength of local agencies is key to improving the overall quality of teacher e-training. Originality/value: This article introduces and analyzes the eTC model, which is a creative model in the field of distance education in China. This model is a good example for professional organizations to push the e-learning practice. (Contains 2 figures.)