Supported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, The Chinese Ecosystem Research Network (CERN) was established in 1988. It consists of 36 field research stations, five disciplinary centers and a synthesis center at present. In line with basic regulations, unified monitoring variables and standard operation protocols, all of the CERN stations engage in monitoring, research, experiment and demonstration of sustainable ecosystems, while the disciplinary centers are responsible for the calibration of instruments and data quality control, and the Synthesis Center carries on data management at network level and inter-disciplinary research at national and regional levels. Since it was established, serious of achievements have been made by CERN, dealing with capacity building, data collection, management and sharing, research and ecosystem management. CERN has become a very important base for ecological research and a responsible component of global ecological observation and research networks.