Abstract: Diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) are crucial management tools for optimizing radiological protection. This article systematically interprets three standards: the WS/T 851—2025 Standard for Pediatric Diagnostic Reference Levels in X-ray Computed Tomography, WS/T 637—2018 Diagnostic Reference Levels for Adult X-ray Computed Tomography, and DB11/T 2504—2025 Adult Reference Levels for Radiation Dose in Medical Radiological Imaging. We review the developmental background, hierarchical relationships, terminology systems, and core data. By comparing them with the publications of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and European and American guidelines, this article explores the developmental pathway of the DRL system of China. We specifically compare the national data from WS/T 637—2018 with the local Beijing data from DB11/T 2504—2025, clarifying the characteristics of the local standard in terms of project classification, scanning methods, and multi-modality coverage. Furthermore, it is recommended that medical institutions establish institutional typical values (institutional medians) for computed tomography (CT) radiation doses and compare them with local DRLs to form a “National/Local DRLs – Institutional Typical Values” dual-level management mechanism. Finally, this article addresses the empowering role of medical imaging cloud platforms in intelligent dose management.