The northern region of China is not only a sensitive area for global climate change and a key region with prominent monsoon climate, but also a "hotspot" for global land-atmosphere coupling. Terrain and geomorphology in this area are complex with a large spatiotemporal variation in land surface characteristics, and the climate dynamics of land-atmosphere interaction is relatively significant. In addition, affected by interactions between circulation systems in the mid-to high latitudes and low latitudes, atmospheric circulations in this area are relatively active, which makes it easy to induce extreme meteorological events such as droughts, sand storms, rainstorms, and hail. In view of this, from the perspective of scientific innovation, the main research works in the field of land-air interaction in northern China since this century are systematically summarized. Seven new research advancements have been outlined, including the comprehensive observational and experimental system of land-atmosphere interaction in northern China, the spatiotemporal changes in physical quantities involved in land surface processes and their responses to summer monsoon, the response characteristics of land surface evapotranspiration to climate warming, land surface process parameters and parameterization schemes, the mechanism of land surface energy and water imbalance, the spatiotemporal changes and influence mechanisms of atmospheric boundary layer, and the relationship of land-atmosphere interaction with weather and climate. Based on the research progress summarized in this paper and the cutting-edge international study trend, we propose six key breakthroughs in the future for the study in this field: (1) the study should be based on the implementation and development of a new meteorologically integrated operational observation system that can observe and test conventional land-atmosphere interaction, (2) we need to improve our understanding of multi-interface exchange processes involved in land-atmosphere interaction, (3) mechanism study in the multi-scale land-atmosphere coupling process will be strengthened, (4) we need to deepen our understanding of the characteristics of land-atmosphere interaction in the specific environment of northern China, (5) the impact of land-atmosphere interaction on extreme weather and climate will be revealed, (6) multiple complicated feedback mechanisms between land-atmosphere interaction and climate warming will be explored. The information given in this paper will provide a scientific reference as well as a roadmap to promote land-atmosphere interaction study in northern China in the future.