The work aims to take the research themes of doctoral dissertations as an important indicator to analyze the research hotspots and trends of the discipline, track the research themes of design doctoral dissertations in China in the past 20 years through literature visualization, and provide a reference for the academic community to clarify the research hotspots and development trends of design disciplines in China. In this paper, 588 design doctoral dissertations collected on China Knowledge Network from 2003 to 2022 were analyzed with the help of literature visualization software CiteSpace, and the hot topics and evolution of design research in China in the past 20 years were reviewed. The following results were obtained through literature visualization:integration and innovation development, cultural resources reshaping, local culture awakening, traditional creation review, intangible cultural heritage living heritage, and information interactive experience were the hot topics of design research in China. In conclusion, the dynamic evolution of design research in China is from tracing traditional culture and exploring localized research paradigms, to fusion and innovation and shaping the disciplinary system of Chinese-style design, and then to cross-sectional research and promoting high-quality development of the discipline. Based on the bursts words mapping, it is concluded that continuing to focus on Chinese traditional culture and promoting national self-confidence, strengthening localized research and building the disciplinary language of Chinese design, putting people first and valuing experience, are the development trends of design research in China.