Abstract: Abstract: Area accuracy is one of the most important technical indices in the investigation of the right of rural land contractual management. This study was designed to quantify the influence factors to area accuracy from theoretical and practical aspects. We first analyzed the factors relating to rural land area survey accuracy based on the measurement error propagation theory. The relationship between the boundary point and area accuracy was evaluated from the theoretical view point. The influence of the following factors on the area was analyzed: the shape of the land parcel, the number of boundary points, the distribution of boundary points and the mean square error of boundary point. Then, the influence of different survey methods, such as the analytic method, the aerial photography method and the graphic method on the area accuracy, was quantitatively assessed at typical south China (Sichuan Province) and north China (Liaoning Province) rural areas with taking into account the terrain type (plain and mountain area). We also evaluated the influence of 3 different survey methods under different conditions, for example, various shape (the ratio of length to width changed from 1 to 10) or area size (from 0 to 12 hm2). Finally, the area lower limit of land parcel by using different methods was calculated and analyzed from a practical view. We did back-calculation works based on the mathematical formula describing the relationship between land parcel area and the land shape, area relative error and mean square error of boundary point. Different area lower limits were presented by considering various land shape and error of boundary point. The imagery of the Second National Land Survey was also analyzed for its applicability in the investigation of the right of rural land contractual management. The results showed that: 1) Theoretically, the relative area accuracy was mainly influenced by the mean square error of boundary point, the area of the land parcel and the shape of the land (ratio of length to width). The influences of the number and distribution of boundary points on the relative area accuracy were insignificant for the strict setting rules of the boundary points. From the operational view, the appropriate increase of the number of the boundary points would greatly improve the area accuracy in the land survey; 2) Only considering to keep the relative area accuracy within a reasonable range, the analytic (surveying with global position system - real time kinematic, GPS-RTK) method was generally applicable over all regions of the whole country. Imagery with the scale no less than 1:1000 could be applied for most of the southern region with the ratio of length to width being equal to 2, and for most of the northern region with the ratio of length to width equaling 9, the imagery scale should be no less than 1:2000; 3) To carry out the rural land parcel contractual management survey with "the Second National Land Survey" images with a scale of 1:10000, the land area in plain should not be less than 1.25 and 4.56 hm2 in north and south China. In mountainous area, the land parcel area should not be less than 2.81 and 10.25 hm2 respectively. The study provides both theoretical and practical suggestions for the investigation of the land area accuracy of rural contracted land with different methods.