China is the second largest Country in energy consumption. More and more energy demand pressures cause the Chinese government to review its economy and energy policies in order to support the sustainable development. In China, the building sector amounts to 27.8% total energy consumption, which is only behind the industry sector. China has abundant solar energy resource, which is extensively applied to buildings. Therefore, solar energy utilization in buildings has become one of the most important issues to help China optimize the energy proportion, increasing energy efficiency and protecting the environment. Solar energy resource and its district distribution in China are introduced in detail in this paper, and the representative solar energy application to the building sector is highlighted as well. The solar energy utilization obstacles, especially policy disadvantages in building sector in China, are reviewed. Moreover, the application prospects of solar energy in building sector are presented in combination with the China economic and household industry growth. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.