This study explored the concept and evaluation indicator framework of aquatic ecological civilization,which is an emerging hot topic in recent years. A subset of seven widely adopted indicators was identified from a group of 20 indicators via content sampling,index extraction and quantitative analysis. Based on the seven indicators of interest,it reviewed and summarized related concepts of aquatic ecological civilization guided by several rules: preserving the scientific development as the guidance,making the maintenance of healthy water ecosystem and the sustainable development of water resources as the basis,achieving the sustainable development of society and economy,keeping human-water harmony as the core of civilized process and targeting at the development of material,spirit and regime. According to the evaluation indicator framework of aquatic ecological civilization,20 representative systems characterized by 33 evaluation indicators were selected from the Chinese literature. Furthermore,the most frequently employed 11 indicators were identified,namely,water culture popularization rate,qualification rate of water functional district,soil erosion recovery rate,water consumption per ten thousand Chinese yuan of value-added by industry,headwater protection,flood control and drainage rate,utilization rate of agricultural irrigation water,domestic sewage treatment rate,domestic water-saving rate,water supply pipe leakage rate and water consumption control rate. Combining these 11 indicators,a selective route for establishing evaluation indicator system of aquatic ecological civilization was designed.