This paper elaborates the two different academic views of the identity of educational technology in China at the current time--advanced-technology-oriented cognition, known as Electrifying Education, and problem-solving-oriented cognition, known as Educational Technology. It addresses five main modes of educational technology in China: as a programme, as a research direction, as a discipline area, as an institution and as an enterprise. The authors provide a brief description of the field of educational technology in China.