Mantle xenoliths entrained in volcanic rocks are direct samples that could provide important information on both compositions and thermal state of the sub-continental lithospheric mantle (SCLM). Garnet lherzolites trapped by lamproites that were emplaced during the Early Ordovician at Dahongshan of Hubei Province display abundant characteristics of both trace elements and isotopes. Their p-t estimates indicate that the SCLM has a thickness of～110 km. Mantle xenoliths trapped by the Early Jurassic basalts in the hinterland of South China (Ningyuan and Daoxian) have fertile compositions, representing the mantle residues that were subjected to low degrees of partial melting. The whole-rock Re-Os isotopes of Ninyuan mantle xenoliths support the existence of juvenile mantle in these areas during the Mesozoic, which resulted from the accretion of the asthenosphere. Therefore, the enriched mantle that had probably existed beneath Ningyuan during the Paleozoic was completely delaminated and replaced by juvenile mantle. The mantle delamination was geodynamically related to the large-scale lithospheric extension, which occurred since～225 Ma. The Cenozoic basalts widely distributed along the coastal areas of South China contain abundant mantle xenoliths. p-t estimates based on mineral composition reveal that the lithospheric mantle has a thickness of 80～90 km, with a hot geothermal gradient. Both whole-rock and sulfide Re-Os isotopes support the existence of ancient mantle residues of Paleoproterozoic ages beneath the coastal areas of South China during the Cenozoic. Therefore, the Cenozoic lithospheric extension in this area only triggered partial removal of the ancient lithospheric mantle.