This research is an exploration of learner support for part-time, distance learners studying in the China Radio & TV Universities (CRTVUs), the world's largest distance higher education system. It aims at understanding the experiences of distance learners and tutors through a study of three Radio & TV Universities (RTVUs) and, on the basis of this analysis, making some modest suggestions for practical improvements in the support for such learners in the context of the Chinese Government's commitment to the introduction of e-learning into higher education.