Cyclina sinensis is an important marine economic shellfish. The clam C. sinensis are widely distributed in the coastal beaches and estuaries of China, Japan and North Korea, and have been widely cultivated and proliferated in China. In this paper, the research progress in the exploration, evaluation and utilization of the germplasm resources of C. sinensis was systematically reviewed from the aspects of genomics, systematic classification, population diversity, genetic development, seedling breeding, aquaculture ecology, physiology and biochemistry, nutrition and medicinal value. The future development direction of wild resource protection and evaluation, seedling technology and breeding, green and efficient breeding and carbon sink fishery, and nutritional value and deep processing were put forward.