Objective To translate the 17-Item Stroke-Specific Quality of Life Scale (SS-QOL-17) into Chinese and test its reliability and validity, so as to provide an effective assessment tool for evaluating the quality of life in stroke patients. Methods The scale was translated and culturally adapted into the Chinese version of SS-QOL-17 using the Brislin model. A total of 357 hospitalized stroke patients were recruited using convenience sampling, and the reliability and validity of the scale were examined. Results The Chinese version of SS-QOL-17 consists of 3 dimensions and 17 items. The Cronbach′s α coefficient of the scale was 0.912, and the test-retest reliability was 0.900. The S-CVI/Ave was 0.968, and the I-CVI ranged from 0.850 to 1.000. The criterion-related validity was 0.892. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 3 common factors, with a cumulative variance contribution rate of 66.766%. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that χ2/df=2.968, RMSEA=0.078, GFI=0.910, IFI=0.954, CFI=0.954, and TLI=0.941, with all fit indices of the model at an ideal level. Conclusion The Chinese version of SS-QOL-17 has good reliability and validity and is suitable for evaluating the quality of life of stroke patients in China.