Objective Exploring the current research status, research context, evolution, and future research directions of laboratory animal welfare and ethics in China. Methods Literature related to laboratory animal welfare and ethics was collected from journals in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) database from 2001 to 2023. A combination of a qualitative description based on a literature review and CiteSpace visual bibliometric analysis was used to summarize the achievements, hot topics, and directions of laboratory animal welfare and ethics research. Results The literature shows that the overall popularity of research into laboratory animal welfare and ethics is on the rise in China. The hot research topics in this field include basic theories of laboratory animal welfare and ethics, the legislation of laboratory animal welfare and ethics, technologies for improving laboratory animal welfare and ethics, reviews of laboratory animal welfare and ethics, and laboratory animal welfare and ethics education. In response to the ethical issues arising from emerging interdisciplinary fields, continuous innovation is being made via research into this topic. Conclusions Suggestions are put forward regarding changes to the legal system, review mechanisms, education and training, and innovative research using laboratory animals welfare and ethics to provide a reference and guidance on the welfare and ethics of laboratory animals.