Perioperative mechanical ventilation plays a role in lung injury and postoperative pulmonary complications, yet a consensus in the literature concerning the key clinical question of how to best provide lung protection during mechanical ventilation in surgical patients is lacking. It is necessary to develop an expert consensus on perioperative mechanical ventilation suitable for Chinese anesthesiologists to better guide clinical practice. The experts from the Anesthesia Committee of Chengdu Medical Association and the Chongqing Medical Association Anesthesiology Branch were organized by West China Hospital of Sichuan University to propose the question regarding the perioperative mechanical ventilation, and the current literature was then reviewed, and expert opinions were solicited to provide evidence-based guidance. Subsequently, the expert panel reached a consensus and formulated 28 recommendations with evidence of moderate to high quality using the modified Delphi method.