Livelihood equipment is an important part of high-end equipment. It plays an important role in the development of national economy. China’s livelihood equipment lags behind the international advanced level in terms of international competitiveness and comprehensive level. The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) further exposed the serious shortcomings in China’s livelihood equipment concerning medical treatment, food, textile, and the like, as well as the urgent need for optimization and upgrading of the industry. In this paper, livelihood equipment regarding agriculture, food, textile, and medical treatment are studied, which are related to the lifeblood of the national economy. Their development status is reviewed, and the problems and shortcomings of China’s livelihood equipment are proposed. The research suggests that intelligent manufacturing should be the major development direction of the livelihood equipment. Specifically, equipment with digital, networked, and intelligent functions should be developed; key components and industrial software should be researched; digital, networked, and intelligent transformation and upgrading of livelihood equipment enterprises should be promoted; and integration with the service industry should be deepened. To ensure and promote the optimization and upgrading of the livelihood equipment in China, the state should make overall plans for supporting policies regarding the livelihood equipment, conduct large-scale technological transformation, build a public platform for technologicalinnovation services for the industry, and strengthen the development and application of domestic equipment and industrial software.