The ancient landslide has endured long-term slope evolution which results in its complicated material and special rock-soil properties. The risk of ancient landslide reactivation is substantially increasing due to the increase of intensified human engineering activities and the frequency of extreme weather events. Many ancient landslides have been reactivated all over the world and led to serious fatalities and severe damage to many important engineering facilities such as transportation and hydropower engineering projects. On the basis of the analysis of the research situation about the ancient landslides at home and abroad, the main research advances were summarized including the regional developing laws and recognizing of the ancient landslides, the mechanics properties of ancient landslide body and related sliding zone, reactivation mechanism of ancient landslides, reactivating process and modeling analysis of ancient landslides, early recognization of ancient landslide reactivation, etc. To meet the demands of disaster prevention and reduction, three key scientific issues were put forward to be solved: ①automaticaly establishing the methodology and identification criterions for recognition of ancient landslide; ②revealing the reactivation mechanism of ancient landslide based on a new strength theory; ③establishing the early rapid recognition method and predictive model for ancient landslide reactivation. Solving the above mentioned scientific theory and methodology will facilitate the planning and site selection of major projects as well as the disaster prevention and reduction in ancient landslide developing areas.