Urban heat island circulation is a local circulation which is caused by urban heat islands in the urban boundary layer. It can affect the diffusion of pollutants in urban areas and urban precipitation, so it is the key of urban meteorology researches. In order to carry out the related researches more effectively in the future, the observation analyses and numerical simulations of urban breeze circulation in China over the past 30 years are overviewed in this paper, including the temporal and spatial characteristics, trigger mechanisms and its interaction with other local circulations. Besides, the influence of urban breeze circulation on the horizontal and vertical distribution of pollutants is summarized.