In this paper,the characteristics and the development status of rockfill dam with surface impermeable geomembrane (i.e., membrane faced rockfill dam,MFRD) during half a century is summed up and.the technology status and constructing requirement on MFRD in China is analyzed. The overall advantage of MFRD is that it is impermeable, suitable to differential deformation, brief to construct and cheap. Due to overseas protection of patents, unlike the concrete faced rockfill dam and the roller compacted concrete dam, the technology of MFRD lacks of wide dissemination and application. Since the first MFRD was built elsewhere, no high MFRD has ever been constructed in China. For the demand of clean energy of hydropower and conditions of ecological environment, MFRD is required to play an important role, and corresponding technology of design and analysis on MFRD demand further studies as well as a systematic and deeper integration. Recent preliminary studies on the result of key technology of MFRD are summarized, which include mechanism of anchoring influence at perimeter of MFRD and eliminating approach, biaxial tensile mechanical property of geomembrane used as surface barrier of high rockfill dam, analysis of stress and deformation characteristics of geomembrane surface barrier for rockfill dam, experimental research on engineering property of non-granular cushion for geomembrane surface barrier of high rockfill dam, and probabilistic analysis of geomembrane puncture on rockfill dam surface.