The aim of this study was to determine levels of awareness of basic knowledge concerning control and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among general practitioners (GPs) in a Shanghai suburb and to evaluate adherence to GOLD (COPD) guidelines in primary care. All 593 practitioners, including rural and urban community GPs at 15 primary care centers in the Songjiang district of Shanghai, were questioned, comprising 331 from urban communities and 262 from rural. Only 115 GPs (19.4%) understood that COPD is categorized into acute exacerbation and stable stages, and 328 GPs (55.3%) recognized that treatment for COPD patients was still required during stable stages. A total of 235 GPs (39.6%) knew that oxygen therapy should be administered for >15 h/d as regular home therapy. In 97 cases of stage III and IV COPD, only 1 patient had accepted long-term home oxygen therapy. Prescriptions that conformed with the GOLD recommendations occurred in approximately 8% of patients according to GOLD COPD severity staging. Basic knowledge of prevention and treatment of COPD was seriously lacking in GPs. Additional training is clearly needed.