Rare earth element (REE) deposits in China can be categorized into the hard rock- type, ion adsorption- type, and placer REE deposits. The REE deposits in China are composed of 12 metallogenic zones, and the peak periods of mineralization are mesoproterozoic and Cenozoic. The former is represented by Bayan Obo ore deposit, while the latter is represented by the REE deposits of the Mianing- Dechang metallogenic zone and ion adsorption- type REE deposits in six provinces of southern China. The available rare earth deposits in China are carbonatite and alkaline rock- related and ion adsorption type REE deposits. The former is the source of LREE and the latter is the source of HREE. The controlling factors of carbonatite and alkaline rock- related REE deposits include rifts or collision- post- collision tectonic settings along craton margins, regional deep faults, and the magmas and post- magma hydrothermal evolution. The controlling factors of ion adsorption- type REE deposits include parent rocks, favorable exogenetic factors including quasi- equilibrium between denudation and exhumation at regional scales, local geomorphology dominated by low- lying gentle slopes, adequate rainfall, and favorable groundwater conditions. In this paper, the general metallogenic models of carbonatite and alkaline rock- type and ion adsorption- type REE deposits are recommended. The prospecting of carbonate rock and alkaline rock- type REE deposits is concentrated in the depth and edges of known deposits, but the search for hard rock- type heavy rare earth deposit in Xingmeng and Boziguer- Yilanlik metallogenic belts should not be ignored. Southern Jiangxi Province, northern Guangdong Province and southern Yunnan Province are the key areas to search for ion adsorption- type HREE deposits.