Abstract: In modern times, South Manchuria Railway made an indepth investigation of Chinas rural areas, especially in the rural areas of Northeast China, leaving a huge amount of investigation data. Faced with these data，the academic circles are at a loss as to what to do. So it is urgent to explore the specific situation of South Manchuria Railways investigation into modern Northeast Chinas rural areas in terms of investigation method. The author collated “Manchuria Rural Reality Survey” and“Manchuria Agricultural Reality Survey” in South Manchuria Railways Monthly Investigation, and summed up the eight methods of rural investigation. Taking the specific investigation of the Nanhuangdi Village in Jilin Province as an example, this paper finds out the discrepancy from three investigation data and provides reference for the relevant academic researchers. Through this basic research, we can find out the characteristics and connotation of South Manchuria Railways rural survey data, and reveal the limitations and the purpose of aggression about the Japanese colonizers investigation on Northeast China.

Key words: South Manchuria Railway, Northeast China, rural investigation, South Manchuria Railways Monthly Investigation, investigation method