This study focuses on the organic-rich rocks in the Central Uplift of the South Yellow Sea Basin (SYSB) using the CSDP-2 borehole, which was drilled through the integrated Lower Triassic-Silurian sediments and yielded approximately 2736 m of cores. Geochemical analyses of core samples, including Rock-Eval pyrolysis, elemental analysis, maceral analysis, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, revealed multiple sets of effective source rocks developed from the Lower Triassic Qinglong Formation to the Lower Silurian Gaojiabian Formation. The organic matter is dominated by types II1-2-III kerogen, most of which are mature to post-mature. Comprehensive geochemical analysis shows that Permian and Lower Carboniferous mudstones are the most important source rocks and have strong hydrocarbon generation capacity. Most of the source rocks are dominated by planktonic/bacterial sources, deposited mainly in a low-salinity marine environment, and influenced by the input of terrigenous detrital materials. Basin modeling results show that most of the Paleozoic-Mesozoic source rocks in the Central Uplift generally entered the oil-generation window during the Triassic to Late Jurassic. The timing of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion was simultaneous or earlier than the collisional orogenic movement between the Sino-Korean Platform and the Lower Yangtze Craton, which may have some destructive impact on the oil and gas preservation. Therefore, it is preservation condition rather than source rocks that may be one of the most important elements for hydrocarbon accumulation in the Central Uplift of the SYSB.