Abstract: The application of scientific groundwater exploration is most important to improve efficiency of well construction and water supply for hydrogeological survey of groundwater exploration in water-shortage areas.In this paper,we introduced practices of groundwater exploration which were carried out in more than 300 water-shortage villages and towns over the past decade,and summarized the successive approximation method on groundwater exploration.There were five main steps for this method.The first was confirming the groundwater exploration direction by pre-research with prevenient survey data.The second was delineating underground water-bearing area with remote sensing techniques.The third was confirming water-rich aquifers by medium surface investigation with simple fast geophysical exploration methods.The forth was designing the well with further detailed surface investigation and combined geophysical techniques.The last was selecting drilling methods and well construction technologies according to characteristics of groundwater aquifers.We also supplied technical out lines on data source selecting of remote sensing,application of simple fast geophy sical methods and combined exploration of effective geophysical methods.