Abstract: Through the combination of field survey and questionnaire survey, the seismic performance of brick and concrete houses built by farmers in the three gorges reservoir area is investigated from the aspects of structure type and floor number, site selection, building materials, foundation and seismic construction measures, walls, roof, design and construction, common quality problems, seismic capacity and seismic awareness of farmers. The result show that the seismic performance of self-built houses is seriously affected by random site selection, low quality of materials, lack of formal design guidance, extensive construction methods and common quality problems. According to these problems some measures and suggestions are put forward, such as compiling guidelines for the site selection, planning and design of rural dwellings, strengthening the quality supervision of building materials in villages and towns, and establishing a technical service network for seismic disaster reduction of rural dwellings. The results of the investigation provide a reference for the seismic identification and reinforcement of the self-built houses of farmers in the three gorges reservoir area.