In order to study the characteristics of aerosol size distribution and complex refractive index in typical areas of China, the atmospheric aerosol was measured by using various equipments like aethalometres, visibility meters, integrating nephelometers and optical particle counter(OPC). The effective complex refractive index based on Mie scattering theory was calculated. Then, the aerosol size distribution was retrieved from the observation, and the relation between extinction and absorption coefficient with respect to wavelength was also analyzed in these typical areas. It shows that the mean values of real part of refractive index nr in these area are all around 1.5, while the imaginary parts ni are 0.01, 0.017, 0.016 and 0.008 in Xinjiang, Tianjin, Hefei and Xiamen, respectively. The number size distribution can be described by Junge size distribution in Xinjiang, while it can be described by both Junge size distribution and lognormal distribution in Tianjin, Hefei and Xiamen. The relation between extinction and absorption characteristics of aerosol and wavelength was described. The results are important for research on the climatic effects of aerosols.