The exploration of charge and mass limits of atomic nuclei and the synthesis of superheavy nuclei (SHN) are at the frontier of modern nuclear physics. In the 1960s, based on the stability originating from quantum shell effects, the possible existence of an island of stability of SHN was predicted. So far, superheavy elements (SHE) with Z up to 118 have been synthesized in laboratories and the seventh period of the periodic table of elements is completed. In this talk, after introducing the background and theoretical predictions of SHN, I will present progresses made up to now concerning the synthesis of SHN and the naming of the four new elements and discuss the challenges nuclear physicists confront in synthesizing even heavier SHEs.

Theoretical progresses on the study of SHN will be also briefly mentioned.