Abstract: Dehydroabietic acid, the aromatic derivative of rosin, can be isolated from disproportionated rosin. Due to the presence of the aromatic ring, dehydroabietic acid could be a promising starting material for the synthesis of antibacterial agents, antioxidants, fluorescenc derivatizing reagents, and so on by introducing of suitable substituents into the molecule. The progress on modification research was reviewed based on aromatic ring of dehydroabietic acid in recent ten years, including electrophilic substitution reactions such as Friedel-Crafts reaction, bromation, nitration, and some derivatives of nitrogen heterocyclic, arylamine, phenol and quinone compounds synthesized via nitration. Finally, the future tendency of modification research based on aromatic ring of dehydroabietic acid is prospected.