Abstract:The characteristics of space time variation, direction distribution, and gradient change of wind velocity and wind power density near the surface are analyzed, using the 10 minute wind observation data of different altitudes (10, 30, 50, 70 m) from May to October in 2009 from the China Wind Energy Resources Professional Observation Network. The results show that: (1) the average wind power density in China is 1652 W/m2, and wind resources in Northwest China and Southeast coastal areas are more plentiful; (2) exploitable wind resources in May and October are more abundant relatively, with the maximum in May over the northern China, while in October over the southern China; (3) wind direction distribution presents a regular trend: northwestly wind prevails in Northwest, Northeast and North China, while southeastly wind reigns in the eastern coaster areas, and southwestly wind predominates in Yunnan and Guizhou; (4) in terms of wind gradient distribution, the developable wind resources of higher altitudes are more abundant; (5) in terms of daily wind variation, wind resources are more plentiful from 08:00 to 20:00, with average wind velocity and wind power density maximizing at 15:00 every day, and however, wind resources distribution differs in different areas and at different times. This study can provide some technical references in building wind farms and making use of near surface wind resources in China.