Early studies of Chinese white dolphins applied primarily line-transect survey techniques to acquire distribution data and generate abundance estimates, while many recent studies rely on mark-recapture techniques to gain insights into population dynamics and demography. The application of an individual photo-identification approach provides the means to estimate vital population parameters with mark-recapture models which in turn facilitate population viability analysis. Here, we review the application of the photographic mark recapture technique in demographic studies of Chinese white dolphins in China waters; we summarize the quality assessment of individual mark recapture databases; ran simulations to evaluate how survey effort may impact the accuracy and precision of population size estimates; discuss how the survey design, selection of individual-ID marks and data filtering may impact the mark-recapture analysis; and we point out how to minimize the bias associated with data over-dispersion through model selection according to goodness-of-fit testing. We discuss also conceptual challenges that may lead to misinterpretation of data when comparing results from different studies that used different field techniques. With improved understanding of analytical principles behind the data gathering, we hope that demographic studies of Chinese white dolphins in the region will expand and improve in the near future.