Abstract: Chinese tallow tree Sapium sebiferum (L. ) Rozb. is one of the earliest economic tree species known by ancient Chinese, and poetries titled with S. sebiferum can be found frequently in ancient books of all Chinese dynasties. This paper discusses the name origin and history of cultivation of S. sebiferum, combs the poems on it in different dynasties, summarizes the plant culture it represents, and describes the research on the active components and comprehensive utilization of S. sebiferum in modern times.