This paper examines the research patterns and trends of Recommendation System (RecSys) in China during the period of 2004-2013. Data (keywords in articles) was collected from the China Academic Journal Network Publishing Database (CAJD) and the China Science Periodical Database (CSPD). A co-word analysis was conducted to measure correlation among the extracted keywords. The cluster analysis and social network analysis revealed 12 theme-clusters, network characteristics (centrality and density) of the clusters, the strategic diagram, and the correlation network. The study results show that there are several important themes with a high correlation in Chinese RecSys research, which is considered to be relatively focused, mature, and well-developed overall. Some research themes have developed on a considerable scale, while others remain isolated and undeveloped. This study also identified a few emerging themes with great potential for development. It was also determined that studies overall on the applications of RecSys are increasing. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.