Ecological civilization is a new stage of human civilization. It is a more complex, more progressive and more advanced mode, accompanying the development of human society. In China, the promulgation of ecological civilization has been promoted to the level of national development strategies and has been gradually put into practice. From the perspective of the relationship between man and nature, the paper is started by analyzing the evolution process of human civilization, underlying that ecological civilization is a new form preceding the primitive civilization, agricultural civilization and industrial civilization. Furthermore, the paper explains the international and domestic backdrop for promoting ecological civilization in China. Based on the changes of the national development concepts since the foundation of a new China, this paper interprets the five opportunities for promoting ecological civilization in China. Finally, the paper proposes strategic recommendations based on the current situation, in order to provide reference for ecological civilization theory and practice in China.