Abstract:    The process of high-speed rail technology innovation is also a process of new technology legalization. The successful high-speed rail technology innovation mode is a typical paradigm to realize the development of key strategic emerging industries in China. It has more important reference significance for other technology catching-up fields in China, given the current international situation. From the perspective of historical analysis, based on the introduction of the concept of technological legitimacy, this paper comprehensively applies the theory of technological innovation and new institutionalism to analyze China′s science and technology policies related to the development of high-speed rail. 
   By sorting out more than 7000 science and technology innovation policies from 1949 to 2015, we analyze the science and technology policies and their evolution process related to the development of high-speed rail in China. Adopting the technology roadmap analysis framework with policy dimension (P-TRM), we explore the influencing mechanism of science and technology policies in different development stages on the core technology innovation, products and market of high-speed rail. The whole period can be divided into four phases: national defense construction phase, economic construction and industrial introduction phase, the phase of implementing the strategy of prospering the nation with science and education, and the phase to apply innovative country strategy. Based on the study of these technology polices and their evolution process, combined with the analysis of the technology path from importation to independent research and development of high-speed rail technology in China, we explore the institutional logic and evolving path of the state-led high-speed rail technology innovation from the perspective of technology legitimacy.
   The main conclusions include: the authority and centralized strong leadership funded by the correct leadership of the Communist Party of China and government for many years help to accelerate the legalization process of high-speed rail technology; the state promotes system reform and policy update timely according to the changes of political, economic and social environment, and it is conducive to promoting high-speed rail technology innovation; it is an important lesson to insist independent innovation, to continuously accumulate technology development and strengthen technical capacity, to import necessary technology timely, to rapidly promote the technological innovation of high-speed rail by digesting and absorbing those imported technologies into our own technical system. The achievements of China′s high-speed rail are inseparable from China′s huge market and strong industrial system, nor from the strong national capacity and state-led institutional reform and technological progress.
    It is suggested that we should give full play to the strategic deployment role led by the state, make full use of China′s institutional advantages. We should pay great attention to the importance of technological legitimacy. Following the guiding relationship between institutional innovation and the development of technological innovation, considering the normative legitimacy, cognitive legitimacy and regulatory legitimacy, we should scientifically plan the stages of institutional embeddedness, institutional design and institutional support, so as to smooth and accelerate the process of the legalization of industrial technology and improve the ability of technological innovation. We should fully pool the dual forces of state will and market forces, promote integrated innovation comprehensively, rationally allocate resources, encourage resource sharing, accelerate the development of key strategic emerging industries, and establish a national innovation system in the field of strategic technology.

Key words:  institution logic, technology legitimacy, technological innovation, high-speed rail