This paper underlines the origin and evolution of earth system science and the opportunities and challenges China will face in earth system research. While elucidating the ideology of the earth system research in China, we propose eight key strategic issues: evolution and adaptation of regional climate environment system; water system, water cycle and water security; ecological system and global carbon cycle; human activities and earth surface system; earth interior dynamics and earth system evolution; earth catastrophic events and life process; earth system observation, earth system simulation，and coupling process dynamics, response dynamics and theory for adaptation and prediction.