From the discovery of the first new mineral hsianghualite in 1958 to the end of 1995,74 new minerals found in China had been approved by IMA CNMMN. Among them, 2/3 were discovered after 1981. The discovery of new minerals in China has the following features:(1) With the development of analytical methods, the number of new minerals discovered per year increases gradually: from the end of 1950s to 1960s, only one new mineral was discovered every year on the average, whereas from 1980s till now, three new minerals were discovered averagely every year. (2) The structures of many new minerals have been determined. (3) Most of the new minerals are in the lower category, mainly in the monoclinic system, and perfect crystals are rare; hsianghualite has the most abundant crystal faces, whose ideal faces can reach 146. (4) Among those new minerals, silicates take the first place in number, followed by native elements, alloys, and then oxides. (5) The modes of occurrence of new minerals are varied, most of them occurring in oxidized zones of various deposits and deposits related to ma fic or ultramafic rock masses. There are a few new minerals occurring in skarn and placer deposits or even in cosmic dusts and meteorite.(6) The new minerals are characterized by wide but uneven distribution. Till now, new minerals have been discovered in 20 provinces or autonomous regions, especially in Hebei, Qinghai, Inner Mongolia and Henan. The number of new minerals found in North China is larger than that found in South Chine. (7) The number of discoverers of new minerals is in tens. The first discoverer of new mineral is Prof. Huang Yunhui, whereas Prof. Yu Zuxiang is the one who discovered the most numerous new minerals in China, totally disclosing 11 new minerals by himself or together with other experts. Most of the discoverers are members of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, China University of Geosciences, and Institute of Geochemistry, Academia Sinica as well as other educational and scientific research institutions. The discovery of new minerals has promoted the development of mineralogy in China. Tens of discoverers were awardees of the National Natural Sciences Prize or the Science and Technology Progress Prize of the Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources for the discovery and research results of new minerals in 1980s. More than 60 new mineals discovered in China were collected by the Geological Museum of China, with some of them exhibited in the Minerals and Rocks Exhibiting Room.