The Virtual Observatory (VO) is the vision that astronomical datasets and other resources should work as a seamless whole. It is also a data-intensively online astronomical research and education environment, taking advantages of advanced information technologies to achieve seamless, global access to astronomical information. Many projects and data centers worldwide are working towards this goal. The International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA) was formed in June 2002 with a mission to facilitate the international coordination and collaboration necessary for the development and deployment of the tools, systems and organizational structures necessary to enable the international utilization of astronomical archives as an integrated and interoperating virtual observatory. Chinese Virtual Observatory (China-VO) is the national VO project in China initiated in 2002 by Chinese astronomical community leading by National Astronomical Observatories, CAS. In the talk, I will give a brief introduction about the idea of VO, an overview of the IVOA and current status the China-VO.
