Source- to- sink system includes tectonic denudation, sedimentary transport and sedimentary deposition. The sedimentary provenance and paleo- river reconstruction are the hot scientific issues, and sedimentary detrital zircon U- Pb dating is one of the effective methods for deciphering the Source- to- sink system. The northern South China Sea and its surrounding areas constitute a complete Source- to- sink system. Therefore, the analysis of Source- to- sink system can be used to decipher the sedimentary provenance of the marine basins and the evolution history of major rivers close to the northern South China Sea. In this paper, we discuss the Cenozoic evolutionary history of the Zhujiang, the Red River and Kontum- Ying- Qiong River by summarizing previous studies on the detrital zircon U- Pb ages from Cenozoic sediments in the northern South China Sea. The Pearl River formed its tributaries of Beijiang and Dongjiang rivers during the Early Oligocene, and traced to Hongshui River, Zuojiang and Youjiang during the Late Oligocene, and then formed the present- day tributaries with Liujiang, Guijiang, Beipan River and Nanpan River since Miocene. The Red River belongs to the large south- flow river system in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau before Late Cretaceous- Paleogene, then the present Red River formed by the subsequent landscape change. The Kontum- Ying- Qiong river was formed during the Early Oligocene, and its prototype was basically formed during the Late Oligocene, and then it may have retreated westward to a certain extent since the Miocene.