Aims The purpose of this study is to clarify the distribution pattern and the dominant climatic factors of Paphiopedilum Subgen. Brachypetalum in China. Methods Seven species of Subgen. Brachypetalum were investigated as the research objects. The climatic data of 194 geographical distribution points were extracted by ArcGIS. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the climatic characteristics of the distribution area of the Subgen. Brachypetalum in China, and stepwise regression to fit the linear relationship between climatic factors and their latitude and longitude. Finally, redundancy analysis (RDA) and Monte Carlo-test were used to quantify the contribution of each climatic factor to the geographical distribution of the Subgen. Brachypetalum. Important findings 1) The Subgen. Brachypetalum plants are mainly distributed in southeastern Yunnan, southwestern Guizhou, south Guizhou, northeastern Guizhou, northwestern Yunnan, the junction of northern Guangxi and southern Guizhou, and from northwestern Guangxi to southwestern Guangxi. 2) The monthly mean diurnal temperature range, range of annual temperature, mean temperature of the warmest quarter, mean temperature of the coldest quarter in these distribution areas are 8.13, 23.70, 23.62 and 9.23 °C, respectively. The precipitation variation coefficient, precipitation of the wettest quarter, precipitation of the driest quarter and aridity index are 75.66%, 673.10 mm, 73.97 mm and 26.12%, respectively. As a whole, it has the characteristics of hot and humid climate. There were significant differences in climatic factors between species with narrow distribution and other widely distributed species. 3) Stepwise regression analysis showed that each fitting equation reached extremely significant level. Monthly mean diurnal temperature range, mean temperature of the warmest quarter, mean temperature of the coldest quarter, precipitation variation coefficient, precipitation of the driest quarter, aridity index are the main factors affecting the distribution of Subgen. Brachypetalum along longitude in China. Mean temperature of the coldest quarter, precipitation of the wettest quarter, range of annual temperature, precipitation of the driest quarter, precipitation variation coefficient are the main factors affecting the distribution of Subgen. Brachypetalum along latitude in China. 4) According to the results of RDA analysis, the interpretation rate of climatic factors in the first axis was 73.32%, the interpretation rate in the second axis was 21.29%, and the cumulative interpretation rate was 94.61%. The order of the interpretation rate of climatic factors was: monthly mean diurnal temperature range (57.8%) > mean temperature of the warmest quarter (41.5%) > range of annual temperature (38.3%) > precipitation of the driest quarter (23.1%) > mean temperature of the coldest quarter (16.9%) > precipitation variation coefficient (13.7%) = precipitation of the wettest quarter (13.7%) > aridity index (3.0%). Therefore, monthly mean diurnal temperature range, mean temperature of the wettest quarter and range of annual temperature are the dominant climatic factors affecting the distribution of Subgen. Brachypetalum in China.