Parasitoid wasps play a vital role in biological pest control and thereby help maintain ecosystem equilibrium. Since 2000, significant progress has been made in research on Chinese parasitoid wasp fossils. This paper comprehensively reviews advances in taxonomy, phylogeny, and the evolution of parasitic behavior, gained from the study of parasitoid wasp fossils. Well-preserved fossils from the Middle Jurassic Jiulongshan Formation and Upper Cretaceous Yixian Formation in northeastern China, as well as Cretaceous amber deposits from Myanmar, have been classified into 18 families. Such fossils have been found in 18 countries, with China, Kazakhstan, and Myanmar having the highest species diversity. Phylogenetic analyses integrating morphological traits and molecular data have elucidated the evolutionary history of families such as the Pelecinidae, Stephanidae and Evanioidea, suggesting a correlation between the Cretaceous diversification of parasitoid wasps and the rise of angiosperms. Recent discoveries, enabled by micro-CT and 3D reconstruction, highlight extinct taxa like Tichostephanus longus and Sirenobethylus charybdis, providing direct evidence for the origin and adaptation of parasitic behaviors. Future studies should emphasize integrating information from fossils with data on extant taxa to unravel the evolutionary history of parasitoid wasps and their ecology.