China is one of the countries with the highest incidence and mortality of esophageal cancer worldwide. Screening and early detection are the keys to relieve the disease burden. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is currently the gold standard for the diagnosis of esophageal cancer, but its invasiveness limits the applicability in mass screening. Developing readily accessible and efficient methods for risk stratification and referring high-risk individuals for endoscopy are more cost-effective and suitable for the condition of China. We reviewed new approaches and methods in esophageal cancer screening, including risk prediction model, esophageal cytology, and biomarkers of blood, exhaled air and saliva, and proposed the research prospect.