High-quality rice varieties in southern China have shown changes in grain quality over the past decade. Indica rice improved chalkiness but decreased head rice rate, while japonica rice had better milling recovery but worse physical appearance. Indica hybrid rice had better amylose content and gel consistency, while japonica hybrid rice showed improvements in rice quality compared to inbred varieties. Inbred varieties of indica rice had higher grain quality due to lower chalkiness and amylose content. Future breeding should focus on improving physical appearance for japonica rice and milling recovery for indica rice.