The new development of three rice planthopper species, including small rice planthopper, brown planthopper, and whitebacked planthopper, and historical profiles of relevant environmental factors in rice ecosystems in China were analyzed. The results indicated that the changes in cropping system and increase in susceptible hybrid varieties, fertilizers, pesticides, and temperature created vulnerable rice ecosystems, which increased initial populations and growth rates and resulted in high population sizes and frequency of outbreaks. The main parameters for higher initial population are earlier starting time, longer immigration period, and higher immigration size; those for higher growth rate are higher fecundity, more generations, and lower mortality; and those for lower control efficiency are changes in species structure, genetic structure, and temporal structure. The approaches for improving planthopper management by modifying cropping systems, building up system resistance, developing new control strategies, and strengthening international collaboration were discussed.