Karstic bauxite is formed from allochthonous materials that accumulated in paleokarst depressions and underwent intensive chemical weathering. The North China Craton (NCC) hosts over 5 billion tons of karstic bauxite deposits formed during the Late Carboniferous, making it the world' s largest karstic bauxite metallogenic belt. This paper systematically reviews the research progress, existing problems, and main future research directions of karstic bauxite in the NCC, aiming to contribute to a global theoretical framework for the genesis of analogous deposits. Key research progress includes: ① The scale and quality of bauxite are strictly controlled by the paleokarst landform and paleo- environmental conditions. Vast continental karst plains provide ideal sites for the formation of high- quality, large- scale bauxite. ② The provenance of parent rocks exhibits allochthonous and multi- source characteristics with significant spatial variability. The bauxite deposits in the northern part of the NCC are derived mainly from igneous and metamorphic rocks of the Bainaimiao Arc Terrane, the uplift on the northern margin of the NCC, and the Central Orogenic Belt. The bauxite in the southern part of the NCC originates primarily from igneous and metamorphic rocks of the North Qinling Orogenic Belt and Central Orogenic Belt. The bauxite in the central part of the NCC has the characteristics of a mixed source of both. ③ A mechanism for the surface crystallization of diaspore mediated by iron- aluminum solid solutions has been proposed, challenging the traditional understanding of surface weathering and subsequent diagenetic modification. ④ Large- scale Late Carboniferous volcanic activity along the northern margin of the NCC was a key factor driving the short- term and large- scale formation of these bauxite deposits. Existing problems and research directions include: ① The complexity of parent rocks for massive bauxite deposits. The provenance of karstic bauxite is temporally and spatially variable; thus, research on source rock composition and sediment supply dynamics in the NCC requires strengthening. ② The complex metallogenic environments and sedimentation mechanisms of bauxite. Formation environments of karstic bauxite vary greatly, extending from continental to marine and from sub- oxic to reducing conditions. Comparative studies on the surface precipitation mechanism of diaspore under these varying conditions are needed, and the newly mentioned Fe- Al solid solution- mediated mechanism still needs to be verified through experimental means. ③ The comprehensive utilization of associated resources in bauxite. Karst bauxite is accompanied by a large amount of mineral resources, such as REE, Li, Ga, and Sc. However, the research on their distribution and occurrence in bauxite remains limited, which restricts the efficient utilization of these ores.