China is the most highly populated developing country. As with other scientific disciplines, dentistry (stomatology) is progressively growing since 1949 when the new China was founded. Due to the closing of the country to international discourse for several decades, international counterparts know very little about dentistry or stomatology, including the sub-discipline oral and maxillofacial surgery. This paper is aimed to introduce the scope, give a brief history, update clinical and basic research, and discuss the future of oral and maxillofacial surgery in China. It will hopefully help international colleagues to have an insight into the developmental history, education system, clinical and basic research achievements, as well as the prospective future of oral and maxillofacial surgery in China