<p>This review compiles studies on paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental changes in the high-latitude Southern Ocean during the late Quaternary based on Chinese Antarctic Expeditions. Four major findings are summarized as follows. (1) Diatom compositions in sediment record sea surface condition changes in the Bransfield Strait and Cosmonaut Sea, indicating an increase in sea ice cover since the Mid-Holocene for both areas, possibly linked to cold water mass injection from the Weddell Sea ice shelf. (2) Export productivity records from Antarctic marginal seas show a glacial-interglacial variation pattern, with higher and lower productivity during the interglacial and glacial periods, respectively, controlled by both the intensity of Circumpolar Deep Water upwelling and sea ice cover. An overall increase of export productivity from Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 12 to MIS 6 is noticed. (3) Ventilation state of the abyssal Southern Ocean is closely related to global climate change and atmospheric CO₂ concentrations, with elevated ventilation efficiency during deglacial periods responsible for elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. (4) Antarctic marine-based ice sheets/glaciers wax and wane in line with global and regional ice volume changes, predominantly subject to oceanic forcing, while land-based ice sheets might only reorganize in specific glacial intervals. Despite significant progress in understanding the role of the Southern Ocean and the Antarctic Ice Sheet within the global climate system, challenges remain in sample collection and research methods. Future studies should aim to collect samples from a broader range of latitudes, ensure higher quality and longer temporal span, resolve dating issues, reconstruct seawater temperature, and focus on reconstructions of Southern Ocean carbon cycling and intermediate to deep water masses.</p>