This paper is the result of oil and gas exploration engineering. Objective The Yichang area of Hubei Province is one of the important frontier areas of shale gas exploration on the middle Yangtze platform. Field investigation and drilling works in recent years show that the Cambrian Shuijngtuo Formation in this area is a shale gas exploration target with great potential industrial value. Methods Based on the latest borehole data in this area, the characteristics of high–quality shale reservoirs and the hydrocarbon accumulation patterns are identified by means of multidisciplinary methods. Results The shale of the Shuijngtuo Formation has high organic matter abundance, with TOC mainly distributed in the range of 0.56%–8.42%. Organic matter is dominated by type II₁ and type I kerogen, and R_o equivalent value is distributed in the range of 2.4%–3.2%. Porosity and permeability values of shale reservoirs within the Shuijngtuo formation are mainly in the range of 0.5%–9.1% and 0.019×10^–3–0.540×10^–3 μm². Reservoir pore spaces of shales within the Shuijngtuo Formation mainly includes organic pores, inorganic pores and fractures. Occurrence of pore spaces is mainly related to the enrichment degree of organic matter, the content of clay minerals and the development degree of fractures. Natural gas is mainly attached to the shale reservoir in the form of adsorbed gas (45.21%–81.44%) and free gas (18.56%–54.79%), and the proportion of dissolved gas is relatively small. The gas bearing property of the shale reservoir is mainly related to the content of organic carbon, the proportion of brittle minerals and the degree of fracture development. The higher the proportion of organic carbon, the proportion of brittle minerals, and the degree of fracture development, the better the gas bearing property of the reservoir becomes. Conclusions Based on the geochemical, petrophysical and field measurement data, the shale gas of the Shuijingtuo Formation in Yichang area has great commercial value and is one of the ideal targets for shale gas exploration and development in southern China.