The non-stop ageing of the population in China has brought with it a surging demand for elderly nursing care. Along with current shrinking family structures and declining birth rates, the problem of providing long-term care to the disabled elderly has been catapulted into a social problem that needs to be solved urgently. In line with the “Guiding Opinions on Carrying out the Pilot Long-term Care Insurance System” issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in 2016, a pilot programme introducing a long-term care insurance scheme was launched nationwide to explore and solve the problem of nursing needs in an ageing society. This paper reviews the implementation of the scheme across 15 pilot cities, and summarises the experience gained in the process of implementing specific care insurance, pointing out shortcomings, and putting forward opinions and expectations for the future development of China’s social long-term care insurance.