Response to public opinion is an important action in dealing with major emergency. This article reviewed the development of public opinion analysis in China in recent years and summarized the existing knowledge system from three aspects：characteristics in different stages，fundamental theories and evolutionary pattern of public opinion. This article identified some limitations of current studies. These limitations include lagging research about public opinion in mobile internet，weak research about incentives and behaviors of main actors，lack of research about legitimacy of response to public opinion，and lack of research about capacity assessment. Drawing on the comprehensive review，this article elaborated research agenda in near future.