The Carboniferous reef communities in China came into being only after the Frasnian-Fa-mennian mass extinction event. They can fall into five communities; the coral-bryozoan community of the Datangian stage,the chaetetid-coral community of the Weningian stage and the phyl-loid algal community, cyanobacteria-tubiphytes community and red algal community of the Mapingian stage. Their early evolution went through the construction, development, perfection and decline which made up a cycle. In the late stage,the communities began a new evolution cycle. The bipartite feature of the communities is very conspicuous. It is evident that the Carboniferous reef communities represent a discontinuous process of community evolution.