As an important sphere on the earth surface, cryosphere, including glacier, permafrost, snow cover, sea ice, river ice and lake ice and so on, is water in solid pattern. As a new subject, cryospheric science studies the formation mechanisms, evolution rules of its components, the interactions between cryosphere and atmosphere, water sphere, land surface, and bio-sphere, and the impacts on social economy. Cryospheric study has been paid much more attention from the different research fields. It has become one of the most active fields in climate system study on one hand, and one of the hot points of global change and sustainable development on the other hand. China is a country with most developed cryosphere in mid-low latitude regions. The climatic effect, environmental effect, water resources effect and ecological effect of cryospheric change in China are very notable, which is of importance to the state strategy for west China development. The development of cryospheric science has been closely linked with National Natural Science Fund, which plays a role of foundation and driving force of eagerly looking forward to new fields and cultivating talented people of cryospheric study, which is reviewed in this paper.