Abstract: Dynamic behavior of materials under dynamic compression is of great interest in the fields of defense-related science and technology, space flight and aviation, energy and environment, and so on. This paper proceeds from traditional methods for dynamic compression experiments, introduces macroscopic responses and systematic understanding of materials under planar impact, then points out the deficiencies of traditional research approaches for describing dynamic behavior of realistic materials and the active demand for studying micro- and meso-scale physics. To fulfil this demand, we present the latest progress in dynamic compression science, in which advanced <em<in situ</em< diagnosis techniques and their working principle are briefly introduced, and new micro- and meso- scale insights into plastic deformation, shock-driven phase transition, and spall and failure have been reviewed.