This review focuses on the developments of atomic spectrometry (AS) in China since the founding of the People's Republic in 1949. The content covers atomic emission spectrometry (AES), atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS), atomic fluorescence spectrometry (AFS), and elemental mass spectrometry (ElemMS), together with related hyphenated techniques and sample introduction techniques. The first section covers the topic of the development history of atomic spectrometry in China. The intriguing developments in instrumentation, technique and methodology are listed with novel excitation/atomization sources highlighted. The second section deals with the aspects of hyphenated techniques, including on-line sample pre-treatment method for separation/preconcentration, and the chromatography-atomic spectrometry hyphenated techniques. The third section briefly demonstrates sample introduction techniques, which are vital for the enhancement of detectability. All these works indicate that the advancement of AS in China contributes to the development of methodology, application and instrumentation in the AS world.