Abstract A new concept of ‘low-carbon towns’ (LCTs) has emerged in the urban planning and development of China in recent years to face the challenge of global climate change. This manuscript presents the current status, basic concepts, and town practices for the development of LCTs in China. First, we summarize the driving forces and regional activities for the development of LCTs in China; then, we introduce the town types and related programs. We propose the definition of a Chinese LCT and the main approaches to developing Chinese LCTs through a system analysis revealing what they are and how they may be developed in a Chinese context. The proposed approaches to develop Chinese LCTs include economic, social, layout, technology, and reuse approaches, each of which is introduced in the context of typical town planning and management in China.