The Nanling is a mountain range that stretches across five provinces (Hunan,Jiangxi,Guangxi,Guangdong,and Fujian) in China,and it plays an important role as a boundary between tropical and subtropical regions.Understanding the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of precipitation in Nanling is of great significance for further discovering the precipitation law of Nanling mountains under the conditions of climate change.Based on monthly precipitation data recorded at 14 meteorological stations in the Nanling area from 1968 to 2015,this study used the Mann-Kendall statistical test,wavelet analysis,and Kriging interpolation to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics of precipitation in the Nanling area.The results showed that rainfall was generally more abundant in the southwest of the area,decreasing from west to east and from south to north,but also decreasing with elevation.Cluster analysis indicated the area could be divided into five subregions,and that one year could not only be divided into spring (Mar.-May),summer (June-Aug.),autumn (Sept.-Nov.),and winter (Dec.-Feb.) but also into the flood season (Apr.-Sept.) and the non-flood season (Oct.-Mar.) as well.The mutative trends of annual seasonal precipitation and precipitation in the flood and non-flood seasons over the entire region,as well as the five subregions,were found not significant.Many different timescales of precipitation sequence were identified for the Nanling area,of which 13 years could be considered the primary period.The research results can provide reference for the development of agriculture,forestry and tourism in Nanling,and lay a foundation for the evaluation of ecological barrier function of Nanling.