Mercury,regarded as a global concern,has significant impacts on human health and the environment.China plays a key role in both current and future mercury emissions to the atmospheric and significantly affects the global Hg cycle.With about 500–800 t of anthropogenic mercury emissions,China accounts for 25%–40%of the global mercury emissions.The dominant mercury emission sources in China are coal combustion,non-ferrous metal smelting,cement production and iron and steel production.Mercury content in fuels or raw materials and mercury removal efficiency by air pollution control devices(APCDs)are the two main parameters for mercury emission factors in these sources.The mercury emissions from natural sources in China are equivalent to the anthropogenic mercury emissions.The atmospheric mercury concentration in China is about 2–10 times the background level of North Hemisphere.The concentrations of atmospheric mercury in Chinese cities are at the range of 6.7–18.4 ng?m?3,while those in rural and remote area of China are about 2.7–11.7 ng?m?3 and 1.6–2.9 ng?m?3,respectively.The mercury deposition fluxes in remote areas in China are usually in the range of 10–50 μg?m?2? yr?1.Soils around non-ferrous metal smelters are heavily polluted by the atmospheric mercury emission.The mercury emissions from China can be transported long distances and have an impact on other regions in the world.To reduce mercury emissions,legislations have been enacted for power plants,non-ferrous metal smelters,cement plants and waste incinerators.Currently mercury contented in the flue gas is mainly removed through existing air pollution control devices for particulate matters,sulfur dioxide,and nitrogen oxides.Dedicated mercury control technologies are required in the future to further mitigate the mercury emissions in China.The large size of various regions,the different types of sources,and the regional atmospheric compound pollution in China provide an opportunity to improve the understanding of the global mercury cycle.