The maximum entropy model (Maxent) was used to simulate the potential distribution areas of Loropetalum chinense in China in different periods such as the last inter glacial (LIG), the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the present. Key biological factors affecting Loropetalum chinense distribution were analyzed. The results showed that: (1) the change of historical climate from the last inter glacial period to the last inter glacial, and then to the present, the suitable area of L. chinense increased. The proportion of present suitable area was the largest, and the suitable degree was also higher. (2) the area under the curve(AUC) values of training data and test data were 0.947 and 0.954, respectively, which had reached a very high precision. (3) the dominant environmental factors affecting the distribution of L. chinense by Jackknife testing showed that bio14 (Precipitation of Driest Month), bio17 (Precipitation of Driest Quarter), bio19 (Precipitation of Coldest Quarter) and bio15 (Precipitation Seasonality) successively. The range of suitable value was 23-93 mm, 98-300 mm, 110-350 mm and 42%-65%, respectively. (4) Compared with the factor of latitude, the longitude was main factor affecting the distribution area of L. chinense in China. (5) The potential geographical distribution of the L. chinense in China was mainly in the north to the Tropic of Cancer, with a total area of 162.55 million km², accounting for 16.93% of the national territorial area. The highly suitable areas were mainly in the north of Guangxi, the east of Jiangxi, the south of Hunan and the east of Fujian Province. This study accurately simulated the suitable distribution of L. chinense in three different periods, and provided scientific basic for analyzing the formation of modern distribution of L. chinense.