The current situation of cancer registration in China was systematically reviewed. So far, cancer registration in China has been making a great progress in the following aspects: the number of cancer registries and covered population have increased dramatically; a registration network has been established and completed gradually; regulations and rules improved remarkably; more attention is being paid by every level of government; a lot of registration software has been created and financial support ensured. However, we are still facing some problems and challenges, such as no stable groups of registrars, shortage of training opportunities, poor data quality, insufficient utilization and lack of multidisciplinary mechanisms, so that the cancer registration system still needs to be enhanced and improved. Along with the development of economy, science and information technology, methods and patterns of cancer registration is changing. It is to be expected that cancer registration will be automatic, nationwide and integrated with community healthcare in the near future.