The growth of power generation in China since the 1980s has been reviewed by analyzing the relationship between demand and supply of power, the increasing in installed capacity, and the variations in power-resource structure. Currently, the power generation from pulverized coal (PC) is dominant in the China's power industry, with relevant PC-power-generation technologies being introduced in the past two decades; such technologies were introduced to tackle various issues such as economy, reliability, and pollutant emissions. Furthermore, some of the problems related to PC-power generation in China have been discussed herein. Accordingly, the prospects of PC-power generation in China are predicted, considering the aspects of emission reduction and improvements in efficiency and reliability. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.