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The phase velocity dispersion of seismic surface waves is computed from the clear and reliable Rayleigh wave records of 21 seismic stations and 43 paths in east Chinese continent. We obtain the distribution of phase velocity dispersion by Talantola probability inversion method. The image of 3-D shear wave velocity in the crust and upper mantle is inverted by the phase velocity dispersion curves in the investigated region. Then we obtain the S wave velocity structure in the crust and upper mantle of east Chinese continent. The results show that the over all tendency of the thickness of east China crust is thin in the east and thick in the west. To the west of 105° E, the thickness of crust gradually increases to 55km. There is an ‘h’ form slope belt of the crust thickness. In the region of west Henan and south Shanxi provinces the crust is relatively thin. The thickness of crust in Dabie mountain and Taishan mountain are thicker than surrounding region. But in the Qinling mountain region the crust is not thicker. In North China region the top interface of the low velocity layer (LVL) of the upper mantle is rather shallow. It is about 80–90km. In the region of Eerduosi depression, Sichuan platform trough and Guizhou-Hunan region it is about 120–130km. In the east Yangzi block as well as east and center South China fold system velocity in the top upper mantle is relatively low and the velocity contrast of LVL is not evident. In the west of Yunnan-Guizhou fold system there is no LVL within the top 200km of the upper mantle.

On the basis of data of long period Rayleigh surface wave, we select 43 two-station paths which cover the eastern China thoroughly. By using the improved method of multi-filtration, we obtain the group velocity and amplitude spectrum, and then get attenuation factor for each paths. We employ Talentola inversion method to get local attenuation factor, and further invert the three-dimension Qβ image under the crust and upper mantle in the eastern Chinese continent. The Qβ image shows the following basic characters. There is correlation between the seismic activity and Qβ structure under the crust and upper mantle in North China region. The Yangtze block begins to collide with and subduct to the North China block from the southern border of the Qinling in the southern Shaanxi. In the large part of Yangtze quasi-platform appear an obvious high Qβ area at 88 km deep. In the east of Sichuan depression platform, the juncture of Sichun and Guizhou, and the Jiangnan block near the juncture of Guizhou and Hunan, the lateral variation of Qβ in the crust is little, and there is a high-Qβ layer no thinner than 40 km in the top mantle. In the Dian-Qian fold and fracture region between Yunnan and Guizhou, the vertical variation of Qβ at the region of the crust and upper mantle is little, there is a low-Qβ layer in the top mantle, about 40 km thick, low-Qβ layer of the upper mantle begins to appear at about 95 km deep. In the east of Yangtze quasi-platform and the central and eastern part of the South China fold system, the Moho is smooth, the lateral variation of Qβ in the crust is also little, low-Qβ layer of the upper mantle begins to appear at about 85 km deep.