This paper investigates how the fast growing big-data technologies may strategically affect the nature and scope of public relations practice and research in the Greater China Region (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan). Guided by the grounded theory, the authors conducted in-depth interviews of 30 PR scholars and practitioners, having generated some interesting and important findings. First, Chinese PR practice in the big data era tended to adhere to the contingency model ranging from institutionalization to de-institutionalization. Second, responding to the changes in practice, the big data rendered PR education to be more integrated and transdisciplinary. Third, the big-data era had begun to re-orientating scholars’ attention to positive and schematic public relations in communication research, likely to the introduction of a new paradigm of strategic communication. And, the big-data era might finally, pushes public relations toward growing into grand strategy.