Objective　To investigate bronchial provocation test (BPT) and small airway function in children with cough variant asthma (CVA). Methods　A total of 353 children with chronic cough whose mean age was (7.45±2.58) years from three hospitals of Pudong district were enrolled during May 2012 and February 2014. Conventional pulmonary function tests, BPT and questionnaire survey were performed and the difference in pulmonary function was analyzed between children with positive BPT and negative BPT. Results　In 353 children with chronic cough, there were 200 children (56.66%) diagnosed as CVA with positive BPT. Compared with BPT negative group, the percentages of nighttime cough and severe dry cough in BPT positive group were significantly higher while the percentages of morning/daytime cough and wet cough were significantly lower (P<0.01). Furthermore, the rates of history of atopic dermatitis and rhinitis in BPT positive group were significantly higher than those in BPT negative group (P<0.01). Forced expiratory flow at 75% reflecting the small airway function was significantly lower in BPT positive group than that in BPT negative group (P=0.032). Conclusions　Bronchial hyperresponsiveness and decreased small airway function are the important pathological features of CVA. BPT and spirometry have clinical significances in the CVA diagnosis and the analysis of cause of chronic cough.