For further control of acid rain and sulphur dioxide pollution, the Chinese government has designated the Acid Rain Control Zone and the Sulphur Dioxide Pollution Control Zone for those areas that are, or could become, affected by acid deposition or ambient sulphur dioxide concentrations. One of the most important principles for designating the Acid Rain Control Zone is that the critical load is exceeded by the sulphur deposition. Through the steady-state water chemistry method (SSWC), critical loads of acidity for surface waters were mapped based on available data. Results show that surface waters sensitive to acid deposition, i.e. surface waters with low critical loads, are mainly found in north-east China, on the Tibetan Plateau, and in north-west China. Compared with the critical loads of soils, critical loads of surface waters are usually higher in almost all areas in China. The reason for very low critical loads of surface waters in some regions dominated by soils geologically not sensitive to acid deposition may be attributed to the low temperature, high altitude and low runoff. In contrast, surface waters in south China are not susceptible to acid deposition, and so far acidification of surface water has not been found in spite of the heavy acid rain. As can be seen from the critical load exceedance map, nearly 10% of the surface waters are subject to risk of acidification in 1995.