In this paper, the development and actuality of high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission technology in China are presented firstly. Then, taking the HVDC control system for a survey objective, the comparison and analysis of two different HVDC control systems produced by ABB and Siemens respectively are carried out. Besides, aiming at practical HVDC projects, the existing problems and defects of their control systems are summarized, and accordingly some possible solutions are suggested. At the end, the application trends of the HVDC control system are forecasted.