Based on the temperature suitability model, this paper calculated the temperature suitability of rice at different growth stages, and evaluated the mean value and coefficient of variation and the spatiotemporal distribution and change pattern of temperature suitability of rice in Northeast China during 1961-2015. The results showed that the temperature suitability was high with low variability at tillering, booting and heading stages. On the contrary, the suitability was low with high variability during sowing and seeding stages. On the basis of the average temperature suitability of each station during the study period, the main production area of rice in Northeast China was divided into three regions with high, medium, and low suitability, respectively. Spatially, there was a significant northsouth difference in suitability, and the suitability generally decreased with the increase of latitude. Temperature suitability of each developmental stage decreased firstly and then increased, and showed an increased tendency in general from 1961 to 2015. Besides, such increasing trend was most significant from sowing to seeding stage and milky to mature stage, especially after the mid1990s. According to the rate of linear tendency of temperature suitability of each station, the main production area of rice in Northeast China was divided into three regions with high, moderate and low increase in temperature suitability, respectively. Our analysis suggests that the planting environment of rice in Northeast China will be improved, since the lower temperature suitability region would be always companied with a higher tendency of increase in temperature suitability and the regional differences would get smaller.