Abstract: With the decrease of fertility level in past decades, population shrinking has gained much attention across the world. It has also gradually become a general problem in China, which need further studies in the future. This paper has reviewed the progress of these studies from the connotation of population shrinking, the measurement methods, its spatial characteristics and trend, and the causes of population shrinking. Based on the existing studies, we found that some aspects of population shrinking should be concerned in the future studies in China. First, the spatial characteristics and change trend need further research, especially the spatial pattern among different stages and how population shrinking will be evolution in the future. Second, based on the law of population change in China, the research framework of the mechanism of population shrinking should be established. Third, the future studies should conduct more discussion about the positive and negative regional effect and also the coping strategies, and the regional difference of economic development and environmental situation should be considered in this process. Fourth, some major issues of regional development, including urbanization and urban planning , should be strengthened in regions of population shrinking.