Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. We report our experience with surgery-related parameters and survival outcomes at a single Chinese center. This study analyzed patients following gastric resection between 2000 and 2010, and overall survival was the primary end point. In this study, 1,936 patients who underwent gastrectomy were collected from 2000 to 2010. Curative gastrectomy (R0 resection) was performed in 86.6 % of patients. D1/D1+ lymphadenectomy was frequently performed from 2000 to 2005, and the proportion of D2/D2+ lymphadenectomy increased after 2006. The number of harvested lymph nodes was 10.1 ± 6.0 in 2000 and increased to 28.0 ± 10.5 in 2010. Serosa-invasive lesions (pT4) accounted for 67.9 % of all cases. The 1-year overall survival (OS), 2-year OS, and 3-year OS rates were 89, 74, and 63 %, respectively. Multivariate analysis identified R status, tumor location, macroscopic type, and tumor stage (pT stage and pN stage) as the independent risk factors for overall survival. The prognosis of gastric cancer patients in China remains dismal. To improve the survival outcomes, further efforts toward early detection and multi-disciplinary treatment are needed.