Abstract: In the nearly two decades since the geochemical survey of land quality was launched in Northwest China, a series of achievements have been made in solving basic geological problem, cultivated land protection and quality improvement, promoting the development of characteristic agriculture, assisting natural resource management, and controlling endemic diseases. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the 1:250 000 scale geochemical survey of land quality data and the research of key areas in Northwest China, we summarized the progresses and main achievements in seven aspects, such as characteristics of soil geochemistry parameters, soil quality, soil ecological risk, characteristic land resources, soil carbon, study in selenium-enriched soil, and cases on the application of the results. In the face of the transformation and upgrading of geological undertakings in the new era, we put forward the working direction of geochemical survey of land quality in northwest China to support the construction of ecological civilization and the management of natural resources, as well as the focus of the basic research.