Through an integrated study of Mesozoic and Paleozoic petroleum geology in southern China and summing-up of the exploration results, the authors put forward a set of methods for the study of petroleum systems in re-worked remnant basins or superposed basins. Its main concept is emphasizing the study of the "dynamic evolu-tion" of petroleum systems. The spatio-temporal evolution, hydrocarbon-generating process and hydrocarbon-generating intensity and resource amount in different geological stages of chief hydrocarbon source rocks are de-duced by performing 3-D basin modeling. The regularities of formation and destruction of oil-gas deposits are summarized by analyzing the old and existing oil-gas deposits. The migration and accumulation orientations are studied by the analysis of paleo-structures. The dynamic evolution of chief Mesozoic and Paleozoic petroleum systems in southern China during main tectonic movements is studied. The authors suggest that the realistic ex-ploration targets of Mesozoic and Paleozoic petroleum systems in southern China are secondary petroleum sys-tems and regenerated petroleum systems. As the existing primary petroleum systems are scarce, the authors suggest that the favorable perspective exploration areas of Mesozoic and Paleozoic petroleum systems in southern China are the high and steep anticlinal belt in the front of the Daba Mountains and on the western side of the Shizhu synclinorium, northeastern Sichuan, the Funin - Yancheng - Hai'an - Xinhua - Baoyin area in the Shubei basin, the Qianjiang - Xiantao -Paizhou - well Chacan 1 area in the southern part of the Jianghan basin,the Poyang basin in southern Jiangxi and the northern depression of the Chuxiong basin in Yunnan. This view has been supported by the exploration of the Zhujiadun gas field in the Yancheng depression of the Shubei basin and the Kaixiantaixi oil-bearing structure in the southern part of the Jianghan basin.