This article assesses the quality of research supervision in mainland Chinese higher education by critiquing the related literature. It provides an evaluative overview of the Chinese graduate supervisor-student relationship after presenting the supervision system that is at work. The study has revealed that despite the general satisfaction felt towards the supervision, complaints are found about the leadership style in the relationship, from both supervisors and students, paternalistic leadership in particular. The article explores relevant academic and non-academic factors, discusses measures to address the complaints and outlines solutions to establish effective supervisory relationship, especially contractual type. The weaknesses of the prior literature are also outlined.