1. INTRODUCTION: PINXIAN WANG and QIANYU LI 2. OCEANOGRAPHICAL AND GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND: PINXIAN WANG and QIANYU LI Bathymetry and geomorphology Oceanography Tectonic history and sedimentary basins 3. STRATIGRAPHY AND SEA LEVEL CHANGES: QIANYU LI, GUANGFA ZHONG and JUN TIAN Lithostratigraphic overview Biostratigraphic framework Isotopic and astronomical stratigraphy Stratigraphy of major shelf and slope basins Regional sea level changes Summary of South China Sea stratigraphy 4. SEDIMENTOLOGY: Zhifei Liu , Wei Huang , JIANRU LI , Pinxian wang, Rujian Wang, Kefu Yu, Jianxin Zhao Surface deposition patterns Terrigenous deposition Biogenic deposition Coral reefs Volcanic deposition Estimation of deposit mass since the Oligocene 5. UPPER WATER STRUCTURE AND PALEO-MONSOON: ZHIMIN JIAN, JUN TIAN, XIANGJUN SUN, Sea surface temperature history Thermocline depth history Vegetation history in deep-sea record Monsoon history Summary 6. DEEP WATERS AND OCEANIC CONNECTION: QUANHONG ZHAO, QIANYU LI, ZHIMIN JIAN Modern deep waters and their faunal features Late Quaternary deep-water faunas and stable isotopes Neogene and Oligocene deep-water benthic faunas from ODP Leg 184 sites Deep water evolution: evidence from carbonate preservation and isotopes Oceanic connection Summary 7. BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND THE CARBON RESERVOIR: MEIXUN ZHAO, PINXIAN WANG, JUN TIAN, JIANRU LI Productivity and nutrient dynamics in the modern South China Sea Paleoproductivity reconstrction of the South China Sea Carbon reservoir changes 8. HISTORY OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA - SYNTHESIS: PINXIAN WANG and QIANYU LI Evolution of the SCSBasin Evolution of the East Asian Monsoon Evolution of continent-ocean interactions