Abstract: The development of gastrointestinal minimally invasive surgery in China is changing during the past decade. The Chinese laparoscopic gastrointestinal surgery study (CLASS) group as the earliest and most closely cooperated organization for surgical clinical researches, under the support of Chinese Medical Association, Chinese Anti cancer Association and Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the clinical research capacity and minimally invasive technology of the CLASS group continue to be developed. With the launch of the prospective, randomized, controlled CLASS-01 trial for the treatment of locally advanced gastric cancer in 2012 and the publication of safety results of laparoscopic surgery for gastric cancer in 2016, the international academic community is increasingly focusing its attention on China.This article attempts to review the history and development of the CLASS group in the past 7 years, aiming to prospect the future and attempt to create trends.