Abstract: The arid and semi-arid regions in China, which account for more than one-third of the total land area in China, are extremely fragile areas sensitive to climate change. A large amount of research has been conducted over the past century on climate change in arid and semi-arid regions of China. Currently, it is urgent to get a relatively systematic and complete scientific understanding through systematic summarization of available results and reach some important scientific consensus. Therefore, based on the literature on climate change and its impacts in arid and semi-arid regions of China over the past century, this article summarizes and sorts out the development process of regional climate change and its impact studies from three aspects: research data, research methods, and research objects. In addition, some important scientific understandings have been summarized from four aspects: The formation and area changes of arid and semi-arid regions, the characteristics of climate change in this regions, the driving factors of climate change and the impact of climate change. On this basis, six key directions for future research on climate change and its impacts in arid and semi-arid regions of China are proposed. This article will be of scientific significance for further promoting and conducting research on climate change and its impacts in arid and semi-arid regions of China in the future.