Abstract: Background Coalfield structure is one of the basic contents of coal geology. The study of coalfield structure in China has a history of more than a hundred years, and it has gone through the development process of exploration, learning and innovation, with a lot of research results, which has played an effective role for the long-term stable supply of coal in China. At the time of China's energy structure optimization and coal geology upgrading, it will be great practical and historical significance to review the history of coalfield structure research, summarize experience, and think about the development direction under the new situation. Methods Based on literature analysis and combined with the long-term research practice of the author's team, this paper discusses the disciplinary nature of coalfield structural research, reviews the process of coalfield structural research at home and abroad, summarizes the main achievements of coalfield structural research in China, analyzes the problems and challenges, and looks forward to the development trend of coalfield structural research. Advances and Prospects The theoretical and methodological system of coalfield structure with Chinese characteristics has been established gradually by learning advanced geology theories from abroad and based on the practice of coalfield geological work in China. The important achievements made in recent years include: deepening the understanding of the coalfield structure characteristics and its spatial-temporal differences in China, continuous in-depth research on the coalfield regional tectonics and the coal basin structure, the formation and the development of the concept of tectonic control of coal, major breakthroughs in the study of the coalfield detachment structure, significant progress in the study of coal deformation-metamorphism, attention to the tectonic control of coal-measure minerals, and the mine structure study becoming a hot direction. The complexity of coalfield structure in China determines the importance of structural research in coal resources exploration and development. In the next few years, the coalfield structure study in China will closely follow the progress of contemporary geological science and technology, face the needs of national and industry development, deepen and broaden the research domaim, adhere to the distinguishing feature, highlight innovation, and further improve and develop the theoretical and methodological system of coalfield structure in China.