Abstract: By using surface data from 1951 to 1996, the long-term change trend index of annual and seasonal precipitation of China is calculated. The results show that total annual and summer precipitation over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River increased during the 46 years, and a detectable decline trend in precipitation is found over the Yellow River basin, especially for Shandong and Liaoning provinces. In the high latitude areas such as Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and North China, however, the change trend in rainfall is not obvious. It is also found that seasonal drift in precipitation occurred in some regions in the period. Rainfall during spring and autumn has significantly decreased over the upper and middle reaches of the Yellow River and the middle reach of the Yangtze River, and increased relatively in spring in eastern Hebei Province, western Liaoning Province and the Horqin Sand Land.