Abstract: Based on the particularity of surface subsidence caused by the combination of shallow coal seam and rapid working face mining, the status of surface subsidence under the condition of shallow coal seam mining in China is respectively summarized, such as surface movement laws, surface subsidence prediction method and surface subsidence control. According to the regulation of “three unders” mining in our country and existing coal mining subsidence theory and practice, some shortcomings and limitations are pointed out. The research and application of surface subsidence laws can be carried out from 4 aspects in the future, including the influence of working face mining speed on surface subsidence laws and surface movement parameters, a unified prediction model of surface subsidence movement and static whole process based on mining speed scale, the damage evaluation of construction by introducing new index of “surface movement and deformation velocity”, and reducing the mining damage from the optimization of the mining speed.