Abstract China has a rich record of Holocene volcanism that is relatively little known outside the country. It is encountered in large stratovolcanoes in the NE, linked to subduction of the Pacific plate (e.g. Changbaishan), in smaller volcanoes on the Tibetan margin, associated with the collision of India and Eurasia (e.g. Tengchong, Ashishan), and in more isolated centres, possibly resulting from mantle upwelling (e.g. volcanoes in Hainan island). This makes China a natural laboratory for studies of intraplate volcanism, and significant progress in understanding its nature and origins has been made over the past quarter century. Here, we introduce the first publication in English to provide a comprehensive survey of the state of knowledge and research highlights. Accordingly, we provide an overview of the dynamics, geology, geochemistry, volcanic histories and geophysical studies of 14 volcanic areas associated with the Holocene documented thus far. The special publication represents a benchmark reference on the topic but, as importantly, we hope that it will stimulate new, international collaborations aimed at deepening our understanding of the origins, history, hazards and associated risks of China's volcanoes.