Abstract: Upon the detailed description of fault system, this paper is devoted to the distribution pattern of faults in the study area of the southern East China Sea Shelf Basin and its control over basin structures. A great amount of 2D seismic data is used in the process. Results show that Mesozoic fault systems are well developed in the region as the results of multistage tensional or transtensional movements. Based on their lateral distribution pattern and features of assemblage, the faults can be divided into 3 tectonic styles and 8 groups. The faulting activities are mainly prevailed in the Yanshanian and Himalayan periods. The structural pattern of the Mesozoic basin is controlled by the NE and NNE fault systems. There are three depressions and two uplifts in the Mesozoic basin. It is recognized that these faults have played critical roles in the Mesozoic tectonic evolution and sediment deposition in the southern East China Sea Shelf Basin.