Ionadsorption type REE deposit, which produces the majority of the world’s heavy rare earth resources, is one of preponderant mineral resources in China. Although many significant research projects on the metallogenic regularity of this type deposits have been carried out in 1980s, a lot of fundamental problems still need to be investigated and solved. We have completed a comprehensive geology study on 52 Ionadsorption type REE deposit in southern China from 2011 to 2015. This paper reports the research progress of metallogenic regularity of the REE deposits. Ionadsorption type REE deposit are widely distributed in south China, particularly in the Nanling Mountains. They have also been identified in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and the United States in recent years. Known the deposits of southern China occur in the weathering profiles of granitic rocks, acidic volcanic rocks, metamorphic rocks and limestone. The deposits in granite weathering showing highgrade largescale are most important. The REE mineralized granitic rocks were formed in the Paleozoic and Mesozoic with the zircon age ranges of 461~384Ma, 228~242Ma and 189~94Ma. The HREErich parent rocks are more enriched in the SiO2 and Rb, depleted in Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb,Ta, Ba and Sr, with the significant Eu anomaly, than the LREErich parent rocks, showing they formed from a highly fractionated magma. Remarkably, part of LREErich parent rocks with higher Y and low LREE/HREE ratio (1~3) tend to formed HREE orebody. REE minerals are common in the parent rocks with complex origins, which can be divided into magmatic (eg, allanite, monazite, xenotime, xenotime), hydrothermal l(eg, bastnaesite, bastnaesite(Y), synchysite (Y)),and hypergenic minerals (eg, rhabdophane(Ce), rhabdophane(La)). And the significant enrichment of REE resulted from deuteric activity. The total REE contents in a welldeveloped weathering profile that composed of the lateritic horizon (A), the weathered horizon (B) and the weathering front (C) from surface downwards are enriched in the B horizon, and are relatively low in A horizon and C horizon. Generally, LREE are enriched in upper part in B horizon while HREE are enriched in lower part in early weathering stage, HREE and LREE are all enriched in lower part in late weathering stage. The relationship of the chemical index of alteration (CIA) and the total REE content in the weathering samples shows when CIA＜85%,CIA and ∑REE have a positive correlation, when 85%＜CIA＜100%，CIA and ∑REE have a negative correlation. Relatively soluble REE minerals are a major sources of REE in the Ionadsorption type REE deposit, acidic leaching is attributed to the migration and concentration of REE in clay minerals, and the content of ionadsorption REE is largely depend on the weathering degree during the weatheringleaching process.