Although plastic surgery is a new specialty with a history of nearly a hundred years, the surgery to repair body surface defects can be traced back to ancient times. For example, cleft lip was recorded in the Book of Jin in China, and nasal reconstruction and earlobe repair were recorded in India in the 6th-7th century BC. /kloc-in the 9th century, more and more people engaged in plastic surgery, especially the appearance of skin grafting and a large number of plastic surgery books, promoted the professional development of plastic surgery. Maxillofacial injuries played an important role in the treatment of World War I in the early 20th century.

Plastic surgery, as a discipline in China, began in the late 1940s. In the early 1950s, some medical colleges set up plastic surgery and set up special beds to treat various types of plastic surgery patients. Introduction to Plastic Surgery edited by Zhu, Repair of Cleft Lip and Palate edited by Song Ruyao, Plastic Surgery Treatment of Hand Trauma, Practical Plastic Surgery edited by Kong Fanhu, Plastic Surgery edited by Zhang and Plastic Surgery edited by Wang Liang Neng have been published one after another, which has made great contributions to the popularization and improvement of plastic surgery. Yang Guofan and Li Ji (1975) pioneered the free transplantation of forearm flap with vascular anastomosis, which was praised as "China flap" by foreign counterparts. For professional development and academic exchange, 1982 formally established China Plastic Surgery and Burn Professional Group, and 1985 formally established Plastic Surgery Society.