The daily precipitation in Chongqing during 1961-2012 observed by 34 meteorological stations were used to analyze the precipitation characteristics in temporal and spatial distribution,frequency and intensity by applying methods of EOF,linear regression and correlation analysis.The results indicate that the annual total precipitation of Chongqing is gradually decreasing.There are two patterns for the spatial distribution of annual total precipitation,namely,pattern of wet or dry in all area,and pattern of wet (or dry) in northeast with dry (or wet) in other areas of Chongqing.There are big differences in annual total frequency distribution for different duration precipitations.Linear trends show that short duration(2-day) precipitation processes are increasing,while long-duration(5-day and more) precipitation processes are decreasing in frequency.The reduction of annual total rainfall by general precipitations(including light rain,moderate rain,and heavy rain) may be the main reason for the decrease of annual total precipitation in Chongqing;the light rain and moderate rain are decreasing,but the heavy rain is increasing slightly in intensity.While the annual total rainfall by heavy precipitation processes (storm,heavy storm) is weakly increased,with slightly enhanced precipitation intensity.The decreased frequency of long duration(5-d and more) precipitation processes may be related to the rising trend of 500 hPa geopotential height in Chongqing region and the increment of equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature,while the slight increase in precipitation intensity of heavy rain and storm may be due to the El Niño Modoki.