Recent global estimates of deaths from poisoning suggest that more than 150,000 deaths occur each year in China from pesticide poisoning alone. One response from the Chinese government has been to set up Poison Control Centers in each province to improve management. Unfortunately, the epidemiology of poisoning in China is still unclear and there are no specialist clinical toxicologists to take the lead in dealing with the massive loss of life. The objective of this article is to survey the situation of clinical toxicology in China and give some suggestions for its development.