Abstract: Consideration of the organic-rich shale of the Upper Paleozoic in the southern part of China has been stimulated by the advancement of shale gas exploration and development in China. The organic shale section of the Lower Carboniferous Dawuba Formation in the western part of Guizhou Province, which is widely distributed and thick, is one of the main targets of Guizhou shale gas exploration. In the process of shale gas exploration, the organic matter abundance, maturity and kerogen type of organic-rich shale are the main parameters of shale gas evaluation. In this paper, these three properties were determined on organic shale outcrop samples of the Dawuba Formation and combined with previous data, the organic geochemical characteristics of the Dawuba Formation have been described. The TOC content of organic-rich shale in the Dawuba Formation in the western Guizhou is generally > 1%, and most samples are in the range of 1%-3%. The kerogen in the Dawuba Formation is mainly of type Ⅱ₂ and type Ⅲ, and in some parts type Ⅱ₁ is present. R_o is generally > 0.6%, mostly distributed in the range of 1.3%-3.0%, which means they are high maturity to over-mature. The regional data show that the organic geochemical properties and the shale gas exploration potential of the Dawuba Formation are better in Liupanshui Shuicheng and Pu'an-Qinglong areas.