The topography and geomorphology in Guizhou, China are complex, causing apparent stereoscopic climate, especially the large scale variations of precipitation. This paper reviews the development of the drought indices and uses the precipitation anomaly, Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI), and the difference between the precipitation and reference evapotranspiration to study the spatial and temporal variation characteristics of the drought in Gui Zhou province by using the meteorological data from 1960 to 2000 derived from 17 meteorological stations in Gui Zhou. Basing on the calculations of different drought indices, the study discusses the relationships between the precipitation, the reference evapotranspiration (FAO-56 Penman-Monteith), precipitation anomaly, SPI, proportion of stations in drought, drought frequency, drought intensity and water distribution in different time spans (year, season, and decade). Moreover, the spatial distributions of the precipitation, precipitation anomaly, SPI, drought frequency and water distribution are analysed. Finally, according to the drought characteristics and its evolution over the 41 years, some drought relief methods and scientific adaptions are provided for the development in Gui Zhou.