【英文摘要】In this study, we have carried out detailed systematic investigation into coral reefs in the South China Sea and speleothems within karst caves of mainland China. Through high-precision U-series dating of Porites corals in Nansha area, we discovered that (1) at least six strong storms occurred over the past 1000 years with a cycle of ~160 years,(2) at least nine high-temperature coral bleaching and mortality events occurred over the past 200 years, with a significant increase in the frequency of mortality well-correlated with El Nino events. Through detailed U-series dating and coral coupled skeletal Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca and d18O studies in a coral reef at Leizhou Peninsula, we discovered that (1) at least 9 high-frequency winter cooling events occurred during 7.3-6.8 ka BP (part of the Holocene climatic optimum), resulting in widespread mortality of massive Goniopora corals; (2) sea surface temperature (SST) were 0.9-0.5 oC higher than in the 1990s between 6.8-5.0 ka ago, dropped to present level by 2.5 ka BP, and reached a minimum of 2.2 oC lower than in the 1990s. In contrast with the general cooling trend between 6.8 and 1.5 ka BP, SST suddenly increased in recent time, pointing to the role of anthropogenic greenhous gases on global warming. In addition, we have also reconstructed a sea-level curve since mid-Holocene and obtained precise timing of multiple sea-level highstands, which is well correlated with the timing and 1400yr cyle of the iceberg-rafting events in the North Atlantic. In addition to coral studies, we have also found that East Asian monsoon precipitation change during the last deglacial period (16,800-10,500 yr BP) is semi-synchronous climatic oscilations in the Greenland ice core d18O records, clearly reflecting atmospheric teleconnections on hemispheric scales.