Linguistic landscape, as an emerging field in sociolinguistic studies, refers to the linguistic objects visible in public space,which are viewed as a lens to the power relationship and identity of the languages and speech communities in a specific region. Positioned as an overview of the recent development of international linguistic landscape studies, this article fi rst reviews the history of linguistic andscape inquiry, then analyzes the latest research trend, and concludes with a discussion of the implications for relevant research in China. The development of linguistic landscape studies can be divided into three historical periods. The period from the 1970s to 1997 was the infancy stage of linguistic landscape exploration. From 1997 to 2007, it came to a theoretical exploration stage, followed by a taking-off period since 2008. The research trend in this field can be generalized as a broader scope of signage, a continuous expansion of researchareas, increasingly multidisciplinary theorization, and more diversifi ed approaches to linguistic representations in public space. Finally, the article reveals the weakness of linguistic landscape research in China, and suggests possible directions for further work.