Based on the 411 key research papers published in CNKI database from 1994 to 2021, the published works, research institutions and research strengths, journal sources, high frequency co-cited literature and classical literature contents in the field of margin trading in China were systematically analyzed. Employing the CiteSpace software to draw a knowledge map, the evolution process, research frontiers and trends of domestic margin trading research hotspots were summarized. The results show that the overall number of research papers and their cyclical fluctuation in the domestic margin trading field are subject to the expansion policies. Fudan University, Nanjing University, etc. as the main research institutions had made the biggest contributions; researches concerning the stock price volatility and pricing efficiency by Chu Jian, Li Zhisheng and other scholars had become high frequency cited results in this field. The research process in the field of margin trading were divided into five stages: germination, start, landing, development and maturity. The research hotspots were mainly concentrated on five aspects: market impacts relationship, corporate decision-making and management, stakeholder influence, R&D investment relationship and business theory improvement, which can provide a frame of reference for scholars studying margin trading business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]