Long-term and systemetic observation data of aerosol radiative properties creates an important foundation for the quantitative study of aerosol radiative and climatic effects. This paper introduces progress in observation studies of atmospheric aerosol radiative properties in China, emphasizing the following five aspects: (1) observations of Aerosol Optical Thickness (AOT), Single Scattering Albedo (SSA), and volume size distribution by using the ground-based sunphotometer network; (2) retrieval of AOT and SSA from whole-spectral solar direct radiation; (3) ground-based measurements of aerosol scattering and absorption coefficients by the nephelometer and the aethalometer; (4) ground-based and spaceborne lidar measurements of aerosol (backscattering coefficients) vertical distribution; and (5) remote sensing of aerosol optical properties from polar-orbiting and geostationary satellites.