Soybean is one of the most important grain and oil crops in China. With the growth of population and the improvement of people's living standard, demands for soybean products have been increasing. At the same time global climate change has brought both beneficial and detrimental effects to soybean production, depending on the geographic areas. Using the 2010 remote sensing monitoring data of cultivated land distribution and long time series meteorological and soil data, soybean production potential in China was calculated using the AEZ model for the period from 1961 to 2010. Solar radiation, temperature, water, CO_2 concentration, plant diseases and insect pests, agricultural climate restrictions, soil, terrain, and other factors were taken into consideration in the model. This study simulated long-term change of soybean production potential in China from 1961 to 2010 and analyzed the spatial-temporal characteristics of this change under the background of climate change. The results are that: (1) Significant difference was found in the spatial distribution of soybean production potential in China over the study period-there was an increasing trend from south to north and west to east. The high potential zones were Northeast China Plain, Middle-Lower Yangtze River Plain, and Huang-Huai-Hai River Plain. (2)In the recent 50 years, China's soybean suitable planting areas increased continuously, while the mean soybean production potential steadily declined. The total potential yield of soybeans nationwide decreased at the beginning and then increased-in the 1970s the total potential yield of soybeans reduced by 2.181 million tons compared to that in the 1960s. It then showed a trend of continuous growth from the 1970s to 2000s, and the amount gradually became larger. From the 1970s to 2000s the total potential yield of soybeans increased by 5.3 million tons. (3) In different regions of China soybean production potential experienced different changes. From the 1960s to the 1970s the total potential yield of soybeans in the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Plain ranked first in China. In the 1980s, the total potential yield of soybeans in Northeast China Plain had a spectacular increase and exceeded the Middle-Lower Yangtze River Plain and became number one in the country. The Huang-Huai-Hai River Plain ranked third. Since the 1970s, the total potential yield of soybeans continuously declined to 65.87 million tons in the 2000s and it was 2.85 million tons lower than in the 1960s. This study reveals the spatial-temporal characteristics of soybean production potential change over the past 50 years in China, which has important scientific significance for the planning of soybean planting, efficient utilization of climate resources, and achieving high and stable yield of soybeans.