This paper aims at exploring the tectonic characteristics of the South China Continent （SCC） and extracting the universal tec- tonic rules from these characteristics,to help enrich the plate tectonic theory and better understand the continental dynamic system. For this purpose, here we conduct a multi-disciplinary investigation and combine it with the previous studies to reas- sess the tectonics and evolution of SCC and propose that the tectonic framework of the continent comprises two blocks, three types of tectonic units, four deformation systems, and four evolutionary stages with distinctive mechanism and tectonic characteris- tics since the Neoproterozoic. The four evolutionary stages are： （1） The amalgamation and break-up of the Neoproterozoic plates, typically the intracontinental rifting. （2） The early Paleozoic and Mesozoic intracontinental orogeny confined by plate tectonics, forming two composite tectonic domains. （3） The parallel operation of the Yangtze cratonization and intracontinental orogeny, and multi-phase reactivation of the Yangtze craton. （4） The association and differentiation evolution of plate tectonics and intraconti- nental tectonics, and the dynamic characteristics under the Meso-Cenozoic modem global plate tectonic regime.
