As a foundation of appraisement and regulation, the index system is one of the most important links of regional sustainable development. The paper gives a new idea on evaluating regional sustainable development, which takes the basic system, harmonious system and potential system of a region into account. Based on the index system the authors divide the whole country into four main types and analyze the common and specific problems of each type. They conclude with a recommendation to analyze and study the situation of regional sustainable development in a systematic way.