In this paper, a new method had been developed, which is suitable to estimate methane emissions from rice fields in China at present. The method is developed based upon the methane models developed in China, different from those recommended by OECD/IPCC. The influences of climate conditions, field water management, organic fertilizers and soil types on methane emission from rice fields are considered. The methane model has been tested with field measurement data. Methane emissions from Chinese rice fields are estimated to be 9.67–12.66 Tg/yr in 1990. These values are lower than previous estimates and are more nearly to the measured data, because of the improved method extrapolations of field measurements.