The professional image of social workers is important for the development of social work professionalization. This study constructs a framework for the study of social workers’ professional identities, specialties, interactions, and values through the lens of representation theory. Through thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with 20 senior social workers in China, this study revealed that Chinese social workers display a unique professional image and that social workers are caught up in the struggle between reconciling their role as government representatives and advocating for the disadvantaged. The study concludes that the localization of social work in China has led to its unique trajectory and that there is a need to overturn previous stereotypical social work and find social work that is truly suitable for indigenous development.