Climate warming is widely predicted to be largest and most rapid at high latitudes and high altitudes like Arctic tundra, alpine tundra, Tibetan plateau, etc. The impacts of climate change on these ecosystems are critical for the global C cycle because of the large amount of C stored in these cold regions. Microbes are key drivers in biogeochemical cycling, and microbial responses and feedbacks to climate change affect ecosystems functioning and stability. This paper review microbial community composition, diversity and spatial distributions in those cold ecosystems, and microbial responses to climate change (warming, nitrogen deposition, fire interference), which could provide base in expanding microbial community studies in cold ecosystems of China.