Using knowledge mapping and bibliometric methods, this study delivers a systematic and holistic analysis of natural hydrogen research in China. We conduct a multidimensional review of 119 relevant publications from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) covering 2015 to 2025, to characterize the full research landscape, developmental trajectory, research hotspots, collaboration networks, and geographic distribution patterns. The findings show that 2023 marked the onset of explosive growth in China’s natural hydrogen research, fueled by a confluence of drivers: global energy transition pressures, national carbon neutrality policies, and rising recognition of white hydrogen (also called gold hydrogen) as a viable hydrogen energy resource. Research institutions follow a geographic pattern of concentrated core hubs alongside dispersed sites nationwide. Beijing has emerged as the central research hub due to its resource advantages, though clear regional imbalances remain. Four types of entities — universities, energy enterprises, seismological bureaus, and geological survey agencies (represented by Peking University and the PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development), have built a collaborative framework integrating government, industry, academia, research, and practical application. Author collaborations form a multi-center, multi-level structure. Core researchers including Jin Zhijun play a pivotal leading role, and the author collaboration network has expanded and grown increasingly sophisticated over time. The natural hydrogen research paradigm has undergone a fundamental shift: early work focused on trace hydrogen monitoring as a secondary diagnostic indicator, while modern research centers explicitly on its energy and resource value. Research priorities have shifted from early themes of soil gas, fault activity, and earthquake precursors to energy-focused topics such as serpentinization, water–rock interactions, and carbon neutrality. This transition reflects the field’s evolution from fragmented observational descriptions to the development of systematic hydrogen accumulation theory and exploration of engineering applications. Finally, we outline the potential and necessity of interdisciplinary, cross-sector natural hydrogen research. By benchmarking its research trajectory and technical framework against those of natural gas and helium, we propose establishing an interdisciplinary research system centered on the concept of “hydrogen system science”.