A preliminary check-list with distribution data on the Chinese species of the geometrid moth genus Scopula Schrank is presented (Lepidoptera: Geometridae, Sterrhinae). The check-list brings together previously published and unpublished species level faunistic records and as a result 88 species are reported to occur in the country. To better understand the current state of species diversity of the Chinese Scopula, a historical review of the temporal patterns of species description and spatial distribution of species were examined and compared with the current knowledge of species level faunistic data. A majority of the Chinese Scopula fauna has been described in the period between 1860-1930, a cumulative species accumulation curve follows an approximately sigmoidal function and is apparently reaching an asymptote. This is considered an artefact resulting from low research activity. The majority of Chinese Scopula species have been described from central and southern China. This spatial pattern somewhat agrees with the current knowledge of the Chinese Scopula species distributions. A significant rise in the total number of observed species is unlikely.