The city of Xiamen and other parts of China are actively promoting the treatment of rural domestic sewage since 2017.It is not only urgent but also important to explore the treatment strategies of rural domestic sewage,while investigating clearly the characteristics of rural sewage quality is a prerequisite.The quality characteristics of rural domestic sewage in the rural area of Xiamen are investigated with 12 sampling sites in the rural areas of four administrative districts outside Xiamen Island.Water quality indicators inclusive of COD,BOD₅,TN,NH₃-N,TP,and pH value varied in the range of 46-408 mg/L,4.9-188 mg/L,7.30-66.7 mg/L,1.50-49.1 mg/L,0.44-3.56 mg/L,and 6.82-8.51, respectively.BOD₅/COD,BOD₅/TN,and BOD₅/TP ranged between 0.22-0.68,0.7-12.1,and 14.7-86.4,of which BOD₅/COD ratios are all larger than 0.2,BOD₅/TN ratios of half of the sampling sites less than 4,and BOD₅/TP ratios of some sampling sites below 20.On such basis,the agricultural irrigation standard is recommended to be taken as the treatment target for the second type of rural areas around Xiamen.Ecological measures such as LID (Low Impact Development) drainage ditch are recommended for ecological treatment and then the treated sewage can be recharged to farmland.The research findings offer strategic reference for domestic sewage treatment in Xiamen and the whole country.