Water adaptive landscape is a typical regional complex formed by mutual adaptation between humans and water systems. As a subfield of adaptation research in the context of global changes, research on water adaptive landscapes emphasizes the combination of research perspectives and methods on water, adaptation, and landscape. This paper first reviews the concepts of “adaptation” in related disciplines, summarizes the primary attributes of adaptation, and puts forward a definition and research scope of water adaptive landscape. While pointing out that research on water adaptive landscapes mainly studies the processes, capacities, and strategies of relevant spatial forms and behavioral patterns, it also presents the research progress and achievements in the experience of spatial patterns and construction, evaluation, and narrative analysis, before proposing a research framework of water adaptive landscape by focusing on Mentougou District of Beijing. Finally, it offers prospects for future study from the aspects of research framework, quantitative methods, social cognition, and feasibility.