The unstable copper active sites and diffusion limitations of the current Cu-based catalysts are the key issues for the industrial ethylene carbonate (EC) hydrogenation reaction. Monolithic Cu-based catalysts were synthesized with the Cu/SiO2 nanoarrays embedded in cordierite channels via an in situ hydrothermal process for catalytic EC hydrogenation to methanol (MeOH) and ethylene glycol (EG). The monolithic catalysts exhibited superb activity, with an EC conversion of 99% along with EG and MeOH selectivity of 97% and 50%, respectively. The characterization indicated that the high activities are attributed to the high dispersion of Cu species, appropriate proportion of surface Cu+ and Cu0, and negligible influence of inner diffusion, while the high stabilities are ascribed to the regular nanoarray geometric structure and strong interactions between Cu species and SiO2. The Cu/SiO2 nanoarray monolithic catalysts represent a new idea combining the properties of nanocatalysts and engineering of the practica...