Global warming was expected to increase evaporation, but observations show that evaporation from open water pans has been decreasing worldwide. In China, from 1956 to 2005, evaporation paradox existed as a whole, with evaporation decreasing while air temperature increased. However, this trend did not apply to Northeast and Southeast China. From 1956 to 1985, the paradox was narrow, with no clear warming trend. After 1986, evaporation started to increase due to decreasing vapor pressure deficit caused by strong warming. Overall, evaporation decreased in the first 30 years and increased in the last 20 years in China.