Abstract: Satellite-based emission retrievals of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gases provide indispensable information and data foundation for comprehensive understanding of the sources of these key atmospheric compositions and precise implementation of emission reduction measures. Great advances have been made in the field of emission retrievals over the past two decades, and scientists in China have made substantial contributions to this field. Such studies have provided important scientific support for environmental protection and carbon neutrality in China. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Meteorological Society, this paper systematically reviews research progresses in China in satellite-based emission retrievals in the past two decades. Several widely used retrieval methods, including data assimilation, local mass balance, Gaussian models, two-dimensional models and machine learning, are briefly summarized.Studies on emission retrievals of atmospheric pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NO_x), ammonia (NH₃), formaldehyde (HCHO), glyoxal (CHOCHO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and carbon monoxide (CO), as well as greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) performed by Chinese scholars are presented. Finally, historical evolution of retrieval methods and target species as well as challenges in current satellite-based emission retrievals and future research directions are discussed to promote more accurate quantification of atmospheric pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions.