Abstract: Objective The present investigation was designed to get an insight into the situation where rural residents in Dayao county acquired the knowledge about AIDS, through an analysis on the knowledge and attitude to AIDS of peasants in the county, for the development of health education about AIDS in rural areas. Methods Questionnaire investigation on the knowledge and attitude about AIDS prevention was conducted among 840 rural residents from 28 villages in 14 towns of the county in Sep. 2005. Results It was found that the rate of knowledge about AIDS among rural residents in Dayao county was 52.86%, with no statistical difference in the rate between males and females. It was identified that the rate increased with an increasing level of education and it was higher among people of Han nationality than among those of other nationalities, there being a statistical difference in the knowledge about AIDS between individual towns. Conclusion The residents in the rural areas in the county are extremely short of the knowledge, attitude and consciousness about the prevention and treatment of AIDS. It is imperative to introduce health education about AIDS that are applicable to the mountain rural areas in China.