Abstract: Since the mid-1980's much progress has been made in the use of optical stimulated luminescence(OSL) dating method into the studies of coastal aeolian sediments.OSL is one of the important dating methods used in Quaternary geology and archeology.In this paper the main achievements and advances in OSL dating of coastal aeolian sediments were summarized.With the development of the stimulating light source and OSL dating methods itself,more accurate dating results of the coastal aeolian sediments could be obtained.The improvement of OSL dating methods,such as the single aliquot additive dose protocol and the single aliquot regenerative dose protocol,has expanded the dating range and enhanced the precision of OSL dating.The youngest age of coastal aeolian sediments,which have been dated by OSL dating,is within 10 years,and the oldest one is over 900 thousands years.A great deal of researches in this field focus on the evolution of coastal aeolian dune and its relationship with global climate changes in the past.With the ongoing development of OSL dating technology,sandy coast evolution,regional climatic changes and sea level changes will be studied deeply and widely in the near future.