This paper reviews the history and progress of research on active tectonics in China and overseas. By giving a brief introduction on the history of active tectonic research in China and other countries, the paper sums up the process and development of quantitative investigation of active tectonics since the 1980s. The focus is on the main efforts and progress made in China on certain aspects of research, such as basic surveys and applied investigation of active tectonics, the study of theories related to regional active tectonics and their kinematics and geodynamics, surveys on coupling relations between deep and shallow structures, active fault surveys and prospecting and seismic hazard assessment in urban areas, as well as the efforts made using Quaternary geochronology. Furthermore, the paper looks back on Chinese quantitative investigation of active tectonics in China and sums up cognitions derived from studies on the determination of several basic and measurable parameters of active tectonics. These parameters include the length of fault and fault segmentation, coseismic slip and cumulative slip, fault slip rate, the sequence of paleoearthquake events and the time elapsed since the most recent event. At the same time, efforts and progress made in China on assessing the long-term seismic potential for active faults and evaluating the risk from potential active fault movement have been reviewed by summarizing research on developing theories, models, methods and the application of time-dependent seismic potential to prohabilistic assessment, magnitude estimation for potential earthquakes on active faults, and the forecast of potential risk caused by active fault movement. Finally, in consideration of the realities and problems in the research of active tectonics in China, the authors put forward several suggestions for issues worthy of more attention for further investigation in the future.