Tulip is the national flower of the Netherlands and other countries，but it is originated from Tianshan Mountain and the Pamir-Alai Mountains between China and Central Asian countries. Turks discovered tulips in the Tianshan valley more than 1 000 years ago and spread and planted them extensively in the Ottoman Empire. The ambassador of the Holy Roman Empire，Busbecq，brought tulips to Vienna in 1559. Clusius，the “patron saint of the tulip”，brought them to Leiden，the Netherlands in 1573. From then on，tulip was spread all over the Netherlands. As a big tulip country，the Netherlands has collected about 2 400 tulip accessions. Hundreds of tulip germplasm resources are also collected and preserved in some countries including Turkey，Britain，Israel，the Czech Republic，Poland and China. The breeding goals of tulips include flower color，flower aroma，flower shape，flowering period，vase life，heat tolerance，disease resistance，low cooling requirement，and bulb proliferation. Through systematic domestication and bud mutation，13 tulip varieties were released in China. Almost all tulip bulbs in China were imported from the Netherland. Quality of domestic tulip bulbs could not bloom well due to improper postharvest treatment and virus-induced degeneration. Through the breeding of new varieties and the proliferation and rejuvenation of tulip bulbs，it is expected to realize the localization of tulip bulbs and varieties in China.