Three Cenozoic basins—the Qaidam basin, the Weihe graben‐type basin and the North China plain—which are different in climatic conditions, geological settings and run—off types, are selected for the study. Based on an analysis of background information of the transect along the middle‐latitude region, studies of groundwater dynamics, geochemistry, simulation of water circulation of the main elements as well as isotopic chronology, the information on global changes is collected, the formation of groundwater circulation systems and their evolution under stacked impacts of natural conditions and human activities are discussed, and a correlation is made between the evolutionary features of the above systems in these basins since 25 ka B.P. All these have laid a good foundation for further generalizing the evolutionary model of land water in northern China.