Abstract: Preliminary epidemiological data showed that the overall incidence of burns in China is decreasing. How does burn medicine develop in our country under this circumstance? I put forward my personal opinion of " treating burns in wartime and cutaneous wounds in peacetime" . " Treating burns in wartime" refers to the occurrence of significant mass burn incident in wartime and peacetime. In order to meet the national demand in emergency medical rescue in major public health events, staffs of burn discipline should rescue the victims and minimize mortality. At the same time, in the absence of significant mass burn incident and confronting decreasing incidence of burns, chronic refractory cutaneous wounds could be the important alternative targets for burn discipline in daily work, which should be regarded as the opportunity for the transformation development and survival of burn discipline.