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The Asian monsoon has progressively become a megamonsoon system since the early Cenozoic. To improve our understanding of the complex nature of the Asian monsoon system, involving strong interactions between atmospheric, oceanic and terrestrial systems across different timescales, we present this special issue, entitled Cenozoic climate change in Asia. The special issue is dedicated to Prof. Zhengtang Guo in honour of his distinguished contributions as Editor-in-Chief of Global and Planetary Change to our understanding of the long-term evolution of the Asian monsoon system. The special issue consists of nineteen papers, grouped into three categories, that address Cenozoic climate change, mainly in Asia. The first category focuses on the plate tectonic-scale and considers how changes in palaeogeography and palaeotopography have shaped climate evolution. The second category addresses orbital- to suborbital-scale climate change and, in particular, explores the links between low-latitude insolation, high-latitude ice sheets and the Asian climate. The third category addresses millennial- to decadal-scale climate changes. In addition, past human-environment interactions are also discussed. These studies provide important insights into our understanding and prediction of both natural variability and human-induced climate changes in Asia and their linkages with global climate within the Earth System. • This special issue dedicated to Prof. Zhengtang Guo. • Asian climate variabilities across multiple time scales. • Past human-environment interactions in monsoonal East Asia. • Integration of Earth's interior and surface tectonic-climatic processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]