In spite of the fact that task-based language teaching (TBLT) has been extensively researched in both experimental and authentic contexts, there is a scarcity of research on TBLT in the area of pre-service teaching. Our current study seeks to help fill this gap via the examination of the attitudes of thirty-nine pre-service teachers -- after an eight-week period of instruction -- towards the understanding of TBLT in a Chinese context. This research also sheds light on what factors may be contributing to these attitudes. The data were collected via the means of a metaphor elicitation questionnaire, followed by in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that pre-service teachers primarily hold neutral (with a tendency towards the positive) attitudes towards TBLT, while their understandings are basic and also still shallow and narrow due to individual and contextual factors. The study finally highlights a few implications for pre-service EFL teacher education programmes.