Abstract: The southern Guizhou Depression is situated in the transition zone between the southwestern margin of the Yangtze Block and the Xuefeng Uplift. The superimposed reworking of multi-stage tectonic compression, uplift and denudation has resulted in significant variations in the preservation conditions of the Cambrian shale gas. Taking the Cambrian Niutitang Formation in the southwestern margin of Xuefeng Uplift as the research object, the authors in this study systematically characterized the sedimentary, geochemical, reservoir and gas-bearing properties of Niutitang Formation by integrating regional structural interpretation, data from wells, core and thin-section observation, organic geochemistry, mineralogy and pore structure characterization. The results showed that Niutitang Formation in the study area was dominated by black carbonaceous shales of deep-water shelf facies, with a regional thickness ranging from 35 to 158 m. Niutitang Formation in the study area exhibited high total organic carbon (TOC) content and high thermal maturity, favorable gas-bearing properties, and the kerogen type was predominantly Type Ⅰ. The reservoir was characterized by ultra-low porosity and low permeability as a whole, with reservoir spaces dominated by inorganic pores. Based on the material basis, thermal evolution degree and preservation conditions of Niutitang Formation in the study area, as well as the comprehensive analysis of gas-bearing properties and reformability of the reservoir, the authors proposed a grading evaluation criteria for the shale gas favorable area, providing basis for the deployment of the Cambrian shale gas survey wells and optimal play fairway selection in the southern Guizhou Depression and its adjacent areas.