The unconventional oil and gas resources presented in oil shales have meant these potential sources of hydrocarbons，which has become a research focus． China contains abundant oil shale resources，ranking fourth in the world，with ca． 7 254.48 ×10 ⁸ t within 24 provinces，including 48 basins and 81 oil shale deposits． A- bout 48% of the total oil shale resources are concentrated in the eastern resource region，with a further 22% in the central resource region． 65% of the total quantity of oil shale resources is present at depths of 0- 500 m， with 17% of the total resources being defined as high- quality oil shales yielding more than 10% oil by weight． Chinese oil shale resources are generally hosted by Mesozoic sediments that account for 78% of the total resources． In terms of the geographical distribution of these resources，some 45% are located in plain regions， and different oil shale basins have various characteristics． The oil shale resources in China represent a highly prospective future source of hydrocarbons． These resources having potential use not only in power generation and oil refining but also in agriculture，metal and chemical productions，and environmental protection．