The Fermi bubbles (FBs) and the Galactic center excess (GCE) are two distinct diffuse components in the gamma-ray. Both sources are associated with the processes in the Galactic center, and the analysis results can help unveil the status and history of the Galactic center. The DArk Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) is a space-borne high-energy particle telescope capable of detecting gamma-ray photons from $\sim2$ GeV to 10 TeV. In this work, we report our recent progress on FBs and GCE using 8.5 years of the DAMPE photon data. Both sources are significantly detected in this dataset. The spectra above 2 GeV are derived, and the morphologies are studied. The DAMPE results are consistent with those from the Fermi LAT.