Objective To identify the critical indicators of nursing practice environment in China, as a reference for related studies. Methods Descriptive systematic review was used to retrieve literature of nursing practice environment, collect all potential indicators and design questionnaires based on those indicators. In the end, 39 potential indicators were identified, for a questionnaire survey of nurses from cooperating medical institutions in 30 provinces in China, with the data subject to statistical analysis in multiple linear regression model. Results Questionnaire items of higher mean score were usually found with a smaller 95% confidence interval, while coefficient of variation tended to be lower. Seventeen indicators were recommended as key indicators for nursing practice environment in China, including proper working hours and intensity, opportunities for nurses to participate in hospital management, good working relationship with doctors within a department,nursing managers′support for nurses′right decisions. The remaining components turned out to be insignificant in the analysis. Conclusions The influencing factors for the nursing practice environment in China are different from other countries. In this consideration, nursing managers should further explore and focus on such special indicators, and proactively improve the quality of nursing practice environment for better nursing service.