The hot spring is an indicator of geothermal resources. Hot spring divisions are proposed based on data from hot springs in the Chinese continent. The relationship between hot spring distribution and deep thermal background is revealed from the perspectives of thermal lithospheric thickness, Moho discontinuity, lithospheric thermal structure and Curie point isotherm. Based on their temperature hot springs can be divided into low (25℃≤T<50℃), medium (50℃≤T<75℃), and high temperature (T≥75℃)springs. According to geotectonics, regional geography and geothermal divisions, combined with the distribution of hot springs, there exist five hot spring divisions: northwest hot spring area, north hot spring area, Qinghai- Tibet- Sanjiang hot spring area, Yangtze hot spring area, and southeast hot spring area. Hot springs are mainly distributed in the “hot” deep thermal background areas with the thin orultra- thick thermal lithospheric thickness, shallow or ultra- deep Moho depth, lithospheric thermal structure of “hot crust” or/and “hot mantle” and shallow Curie point isotherm. Compared with medium and low temperature springs, high- temperature springs require “hotter” deep thermal background. In the areas of medium and thicker thermal lithospheric thickness, medium and deeper Moho depth, not “hot” crust or mantle and deep Curie point isotherm, there are few hot springs with medium and low temperature. The location and temperature distribution of hot springs are controlled by tectonic thermal events since Mesozoic- Cenozoic, making hot springs the most developed in the Qinghai- Tibet- Sanjiang hot spring area and the southeast hot spring area. The formation and distribution of high temperature springs reveals to a certain extent the existence of large amounts of convective geothermal resources in mainland China, which can be regarded as an important target for geothermal exploration and exploitation in the future.