Settlement archaeology is an effective means for studying the birth and development of the early social organization, and also an important approach for researching into the origin of civilization. Since 1995, in cooperation with Yale University and the Field Museum in Chicago, U. S. A.,Shandong University has carried out a long-term systematic regional survey in the Rizhao area of Shandong Province. The work has gained plentiful results and valuable experience for searching field archaeological methods appropriate to Chinese practice. The present paper introduces briefly the area,purpose and method of survey in this research project and makes a preliminary summary of the fruits gained in the first five years.