The State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology (SKLRB) was established in 1991 by merging Laboratory of Reproductive Biology (LRB) and Laboratory of Endocrinology, which were previously affiliated to Institute of Zoology (IOZ), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The establishment of SKLRB is a milestone for the improvement of research environment for Chinese reproductive biologists. We are greatly indebted to Professor Zhi-Yi Zhang, the former Director of LRB, Academician and Acting Director of Biological Sciences Division of CAS, for his creating a new working concept in reproductive research in China and for his indispensable contribution to the founding of SKLRB. Looking back, it is no doubt that SKLRB has been acting as a pioneer in China in promoting basic research, national and international collaborations, as well as pre- and post-doctoral training in the field of reproductive biology. Our aim is to provide novel knowledge serving human reproductive health, contraception and animal reproduction by conducting frontier basic research and to make SKLRB an international excellence in the field of reproductive biology. To this end, the research in SKLRB mainly focuses on the physiological and molecular mechanism of gametogenesis, fertilization, early embryo development, embryo implantation and placentation using model animals such as Drosophila, mice, rats, pigs and non-human primates. In recent years, stem cell research has also become one of the most dynamic and promising frontiers supported by SKLRB.