Abstract: Colorectal cancer is a major digestive disease in China, with mid-low rectal cancer as the predominant cause. Over the years, Chinese colorectal surgery has made considerable strides, attaining certain successes in clinical diagnosis and treatment, scientific research, and data platform construction. Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement in terms of the accuracy of diagnosis and standardization of treatment. Furthermore, immune checkpoint therapy represented by programmed death‑1 have demonstrated initial efficacy in the treatment of mid‑low rectal cancer. Further research is required to better understand the relationship and role between immune checkpoint inhibitors and traditional radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and to apply them to precise clinical practice. The authors elaborate on current status of diagnosis and treatment for mid-low rectal cancer in China, in order to provide references for its precission diagnosis and standardized treatment.