As one of the most famous faults in China, the Tan- Lu Fault Zone in eastern China has attracted much attention from researchers at home and abroad since it was discovered. A series of Cenozoic hydrocarbon basins associated with this fault zone are developed along it, which makes its Cenozoic structural characteristics a research hotspot in academia and the petroleum industry. However, the current understanding is still many controversies. Based on a systematic review of the main research advances in the Tan- Lu Fault Zone, the article focuses on the deformation characteristics of faults, the evolution history and its mechanism, the initial period of dextral slip and the amount of strike- slip displacement since the Cenozoic. Furthermore, the article also discusses the controversy of the research advances based on the generalised fault theory. It proposes that the dextral slip in the Tan- Lu Fault Zone since 38 Ma is a new insight owing to the differential re- activation of a large- scale pre- existing structure (the Tan- Lu Fault Zone) under the nearly north—south extensional tectonic setting. The article uses analogue modelling to investigate this insight. The article hypothesises that the dynamics of the almost north—south extensional tectonic setting may derive from the slab- window effect produced by the subduction of the near east—west spreading mid- ocean ridge between the Pacific — Kula Plate. The above new insights can provide a reasonable explanation for the deformation characteristics of the dextral slip, the differential distribution of strike- slip displacements in the Tan- Lu Fault Zone, and the complex structural and sedimentary features in the adjacent basins along its strike. In addition, the new insights into the mechanism of dextral slip of the Tan- Lu Fault Zone in the Cenozoic, may provide useful inspiration and guidance for future structural investigations in eastern China, as well as for the exploration and development of oil and gas basins along the fault zone, and the development and utilisation of mineral resources.