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Aerosol direct radiative forcing (ADRF) has substantial impacts on regional and global climate changes, whereas it remains one of the largest uncertainties among various climate forcing factors. The 40-year detailed clear-sky ADRFs over China from 1981 to 2020 are systematically studied based on the MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis data, which hopefully benefit for the evaluation of the performances of aerosol-climate models. The clear-sky shortwave ADRFs show diverse spatial distributions with strong top of atmosphere (TOA) and surface cooling and atmospheric heating over the Taklamakan desert, eastern China, and southern China. A high clear-sky longwave surface ADRF reaching ∼6.5 W/m2 over dust source regions is found, and continuous increase of ADRFs over the Taklamakan desert during the past four decades may indicate that dust episodes therein are becoming severe. The mean clear-sky shortwave surface, TOA and atmospheric ADRFs, and longwave surface ADRF over China during 1981–2020 are found to be −12.3, −5.1, 7.2, and 1.0 W/m2, respectively. The seasonality of clear-sky ADRFs shows strongest mean values in spring, moderate forcings in summer and fall, and weakest levels in winter. The monthly average clear-sky surface and TOA ADRFs over China vary by approximately twofold, ranging the weakest values of −7.8 and −3.9 W/m2 in December to the strongest −17.6 and −7.1 W/m2 in April, respectively. Distinctive seasonal and monthly patterns of clear-sky ADRFs are generally seen among the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Tarim Basin in China, while the monthly ADRF patterns over a typical area of these four regions are similar during four different decades. The clear-sky ADRFs over China are highly correlated with aerosol optical thickness, and dust has strong influences on clear-sky shortwave aerosol direct radiative forcing among column aerosol compositions. Our study indicates general underestimations of clear-sky atmospheric ADRF over China by aerosol-climate models and stronger impacts of aerosol scattering than absorption on the TOA radiation budgets in China. • 40-year MERRA-2-based clear-sky ADRFs over China are assessed. • General overestimations of clear-sky atmospheric ADRF by aerosol-climate models. • Stronger impacts of aerosol scattering than absorption on the TOA radiation budgets. • A high clear-sky longwave surface ADRF reaching ∼6.5 W/m2 over dust source regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]