China′s energy resource structure can be characterized as coal-rich but oil-lean and gas-lean, resulting in a high dependenceon coal resources. Therefore, how to give full play to the advantages of China′s large coal reserves and realize the cleaner, low-carbon,and diversified utilization of coal resources is an urgent problem to be solved. Converting non-renewable coal to diversified chemicals andreducing the consumption and external dependence on the use of oil and natural gas has been the key direction of China′s coal resourceutilization research. After the gasification of coal into CO and H2 at high temperatures, the conversion of dimethyl oxalate (DMO) synthesized from CO and H2 synthesis gas into a variety of oxygen-containing chemicals by catalytic hydrogenation reaction is a proven feasibletechnical route. With the gradual development of the technology for the conversion of DMO to a variety of high-value chemicals, suchas methyl glycolate (MG), ethylene glycol (EG), ethanol, dimethyl carbonate (DMC), and oxalamide, through indirect and continuoushydrogenation reactions, it has enabled China′s abundant coal resources to be utilized more efficiently and promoted the balance of China′senergy structure. This work centered on the conversion of DMO to downstream products in detail and discussion. According to the researchon DMO in recent years, the preliminary hydrogenation of DMO can obtain MG, the secondary hydrogenation of MG can obtain EG, thedehydration of EG can obtain ethanol, C3-C4 alcohol, and the ammoniation of DMO can prepare oxalamide, which is a " new type of nitrogen fertilizer" . The research progress of catalysts used in the conversion of downstream products, the catalytic mechanism of different catalysts, and the adsorption-activation mechanism of active species were summarized. The current methods to improve catalyst performanceby introducing other additives, regulating surface acidity and alkalinity, and introducing the second and third metals were summarized indetail. The high selectivity and limitations of the current loaded copper-based catalysts, iron-based catalysts, and silver-based catalystsin the DMO hydrogenation process were discussed in detail. The problems of high-temperature sliding and toxic deactivation of copperbased catalysts, poor intermediate product hydrogenation of iron - based catalysts, and weak C - O bond activation process of silver based catalysts with the continuous expansion of production capacity were pointed out, and the reasons for the deactivation of the catalystsand the solutions were further discussed and analyzed in detail. The problems and challenges of the current DMO hydrogenation processroute are pointed out in detail, and the future research direction and development trend of DMO hydrogenation catalysts were given.