Objective To review and analyze the literature related to public health events in China from 2003 to 2023, so as to provide reference for predicting, preventing, and responding to future public health events, and to enhance China’s capacity to deal with sudden public health emergencies. Methods A total of 2 717 articles related to public health field published between 2003 and 2023 and indexed in databases including SCI, CSSCI, CSCD, and PKU core in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were selected as data sources. The CiteSpace software was utilized to explore research hotspots and trends in the evolution of pathways in the field of public health events. Results The study revealed fluctuations in the number of publications on public health events. Author collaboration was relatively stable, while institutional collaboration intensity was low and interdisciplinary collaboration was limited. Research hotspots included emergency management, sudden events, epidemic prevention and control, infectious diseases, and online public opinion. Research content encompassed the epidemic characteristics, influencing factors, emergency response capabilities, and governance responses to public health events.Research topics went through three stages: exploration of public health theories, system construction, and social governance. Conclusion Future research directions will focus mainly on risk communication, public opinion management, and collaborative governance in public health events.