Abstract: Urban agglomeration is a complex with the central city as the core surrounded by two or more cities. It is the objective reflection of the economic growth and social development as well as industrial layout in a region. It has also become a main form of urbanization in developed countries. In fact, the "urban agglomeration" concept in China is the characteristics of a noun, no equivalence in foreign countries. In Western literature, the "urban agglomeration" means "urban cluster", that is, a big city and its surrounding satellite towns in remote sensing image formed the connected irregularities each other, and the spatial range includes "urbanization area (UA)" and "metropolitan area (MA)". Sometimes, some of metropolises connected each other are also called as urban agglomeration. United Nations gave a definition of urban agglomeration as follows: "Comprises a city or town proper and also the suburban fringe or thickly settled territory lying outside, but adjacent to, its boundaries. A single large urban agglomeration may comprise several cities or towns and their suburban fringes." Therefore, urban agglomeration in the Western concept includes the cities, towns and urban-region outlying areas. "Urban agglomeration" in China refers to geographical concepts of a group of major cities which are similar and interactions among administrative, transportation, economic, and social fields. In the 21st century, thanks to China's entry into the World Trade Organization, a national coastal urban agglomeration has become the main region for the national trade economy, export and the "world manufacturing bases". Urban agglomeration as an important urban spatial pattern was a unique choice to promote the process of urbanization in China. This article reviewed some progress in studies of urban agglomeration, such as the concept of urban agglomeration, overseas research of urban agglomeration, early researches of Chinese urban agglomeration and studies on Chinese urban agglomeration as a national strategy. This paper has prospects for the studies of Chinese urban agglomeration in the future. It argued that there is more complex mechanism for the rise and development of the Chinese urban agglomeration than those in Western developed countries, so that the relevant researches need innovations.

Key words: urban agglomeration, urban geography, progress and prospects