中国亚热带区域覆盖范围广，面积达240万km²。区内不仅自然景观复杂，多云多雨、多山多林，生物多样性丰富、是中国稻米主产区，而且多河多湖、多矿多污，生态环境十分敏感、自然灾害多发频发，迫切需要利用遥感技术监测其自然资源、环境变化与灾害现象。虽然近年来国内外已逐渐开展亚热带遥感应用研究，但缺乏对亚热带遥感理论与方法的系统性研究，共性与科学问题尚不明晰。本文总结分析了中国亚热带遥感的3个基本特征，按遥感数据类型梳理了中国亚热带遥感的应用实践；进而归纳出中国亚热带遥感实践的4个共性问题，指出亚热带遥感核心元素的主要特点、地理对象的复杂性与遥感信息的病态性，提出中国亚热带遥感的4项重点任务；然后，分析了当今中国亚热带遥感发展的历史机遇，阐述了中国亚热带遥感的创新发展途径，包括厘清人地现象的动态特征、聚焦亚热带遥感的科学问题、攻克不同层面的关键难题、结合应用需求开展技术攻关与重点研发。论文旨在推动亚热带遥感应用的创新发展、促进亚热带遥感理论与技术体系形成，进而助力卫星及航空遥感更好地服务于中国亚热带地区的资源环境监测、区域防灾减灾、生态文明建设与“双碳”目标。

The subtropical region of China covers a vast area with special and unique geographical characteristics. Typical geographical characteristics include complex natural landscape with a mass of mountains and forests, cloudy and rainy climate, and rich biodiversity. And the subtropical region is the major producing areas of rice in China. Moreover, the subtropical region has abundant rivers, lakes, and mineral resources, which induce the sewage from the mining area spread widely along the river basins. All these geographical characteristics lead to high ecological environment sensitivity and frequent natural disasters of subtropical region in China. The characteristics of remote sensing for large range of rapid observation make it essential for precise monitoring of natural resources and environmental disasters in the wide subtropical region. Furthermore, it is urgent to develop special remote sensing theory and technology for subtropical region in China, so as to support the sustainable development and ecological civilization construction. In recent years, many researchers have gradually paid their attention to the subtropical satellite remote sensing. Internationally, the research topics mainly include land use cover change, urban environmental monitoring, wetland mapping, earthquake damage and its secondary disaster monitoring, water quality monitoring, vegetation biomass inversion, and aerosol parameter inversion and so on. In China, scholars mainly focus on some specific applications, such as flood disaster monitoring, mangrove monitoring, and forest degradation etc. These works provide abundant cases and raw materials for the formation and development of the theoretical system of subtropical remote sensing. However, most of the current studies just concentrated on some particular objects, local areas, or specific problems. So far, the theory and technology system of subtropical remote sensing is still in its infancy, and lacks in systematic analysis on characteristics of research status, fundamental problems and future development. In this paper, we first described the basic characteristics of subtropical region of China and the related practice researches in remote sensing. In this part, we analyzed the practice of remote sensing in subtropical region from the perspective of remote sensing data sources, including optical, hyperspectral, microwave, and multi-source data. Furthermore, we discussed the common problems of the practical researches in subtropical remote sensing. In this part, we analyzed and pointed out the two fundamental problems of subtropical remote sensing, i.e. the problems of geographical objects and remote sensing information. Accordingly, we elucidated the key tasks and scientific problems derived from the two fundamental problems. Then, we analyzed the historical opportunity of subtropical remote sensing development, and put forward the core scientific problems and development approaches of subtropical remote sensing that should be focused on in the future. In conclusion, there are some basic features and common problems in subtropical remote sensing. The innovation and development of subtropical remote sensing, including the collaborative observations of multiple sensors and various platforms, are inevitable trend. This paper aims to explore the development ideas for theories and methods of subtropical remote sensing. Meanwhile, we commit to clarify the innovation direction of subtropical remote sensing technology and application. Most important of all, we hope to promote the application of remote sensing in resource and environment monitoring, disaster prevention and reduction, and ecological civilization construction in the subtropical region of China.