Abstract: Bank collapse plays a key roles in the channel deformation in the Middle and Lower Yangtze River (MYR and LYR), which could cause serious problems to the flood management, navigation safety, safe operation of the riparian hydraulic works and could affect the stability of river regime. As an important part of the flood control system, bank protection engineering on preventing the flood disasters, stabilizing the river regime and improving the navigation conditions. However, the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB), the grand protection of the Yangtze River, the vision of people-oriented ecological green development have put forward higher requirements on the bank protection engineering in the MYR and LYR. The current research results are systematically reviewed the achieved progresses in channel bed evolution characteristics and trends, mechanisms, monitoring and early-warning of bank collapse, and bank protection technology in the MYR and LYR. The future prospect on the bank collapse mechanisms and bank protection technology were also conducted. This research is of great significance for implementing the national strategy of the development of the YEB, improving the capabilities of disaster prevention and relief, emergency response and early-warning in Yangtze River basin, and ensuring the high-quality development of economy and society in the MYR and LYR and even the whole basin.