In current teacher education, while previous research has explored teacher educators’ perceptions about and engagement in research, limited research has been paid to their publishing practice. Drawing on a comparative perspective, the present research investigates teacher educators’ publishing experiences in two different Chinese universities. The findings of the study shed light on the high-stakes and power-laden nature of academic publishing in relation to teacher educators’ personal values and self-agency as well as various external factors (e.g. university requirement and potential bias in academia). The research also sheds light on the widening gap (e.g. in terms of resource distribution and professional support) between different universities, which may influence teacher educators’ continuing professional development in their situated contexts. The study offers some implications on developing a healthy and constructive publishing culture that can benefit teacher education in university settings.