KFC has been in China for 21 years since it opened its first restaurant in China in 1987 in Qianmen, Beijing. KFC's 21 years in China have been 21 years of "based on China and integrating into life", 21 years of "changing for China and making every effort to create a 'new fast food'". Over the past 21 years, KFC has been working hard to explore and provide the most considerate services to Chinese consumers. Today, KFC China has opened more than 3,200 chain restaurants in more than 650 cities and towns, covering all provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in mainland China except Tibet. It is the largest and fastest-growing fast food chain enterprise in China.

Looking back at history, we can find the footprints of KFC’s rapid development in China. On November 12, 1987, KFC opened its first restaurant in China in the prosperous area of ??Qianmen, Beijing. Beijing KFC Co., Ltd. was also the first Sino-foreign joint venture operating fast food in Beijing at that time. Taking Beijing as the starting point of development, KFC's development across the country is like a prairie fire. In 1992, the total number of restaurants was 11, which was the largest number of fast food chain restaurants operating in China at that time. By 1995, it had grown to 50. On November 28, 2000, KFC took the lead among its peers among China's chain catering companies and was the first to exceed 400 stores, setting a record for the number of international fast food chain stores in China. On September 12, 2002, China's 700th KFC restaurant opened in Shenzhen. On January 8, 2003, China's 800th KFC restaurant officially opened at the Shanghai Pudong Airport maglev train terminal. In January 2004, China's 1,000th chain store opened on Yinghuayuan East Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing. In December of the same year, the 1,200th restaurant opened in Sanya, Hainan. By October 2005, China's 1,500th restaurant and second drive-thru restaurant opened in Shanghai. This kind of development speed and scale has made KFC the fastest growing fast food chain in China. It is also the first international catering company to develop the primary market in towns and villages. In November 2007, KFC opened its 2,000th restaurant in Chengdu. In June 2009, the 2,600th restaurant opened in Zhengzhou. In June 2010, the 3,000th restaurant was opened in Shanghai.