While formal rules of group representation in China and most other countries address underrepresented groups concerning gender, race, and ethnicity, China’s practice extends to encompassing occupation and profession. The speciality highlights an unstudied question in terms of the widespread profession-oriented group representation (POGR) concept among the general public. We apply a mixed approach based on our own dataset containing the text from 45 professional internet forums and reveal that the public’s POGR concept arises from two mechanisms. The first, known as the disadvantaged groups with shared demand, leads individuals to perceive their own profession as a disadvantaged group with shared interests, prompting the call for professional representation in the legislature to champion these interests. The second mechanism, referred to as misperceptions about representation, involves the public’s misperceptions regarding the electoral system, the model of representation, and the deputies’ professional qualifications required to hold such a position. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of group representation concept and practice in China.