<p>Conventional finite element methods face significant challenges in the lower bound limit analysis of thin plates, primarily due to the strict <i>C</i>¹ continuity requirement and high sensitivity to mesh distortion. To overcome these issues, this study proposes a novel lower bound limit analysis method for thin plates based on a generalized conforming element developed using the quadrilateral area coordinate (QAC) method. Because the consistently linear transformation between the area and Cartesian coordinates, the proposed element maintains high numerical accuracy even under severely distorted meshes. The principle of virtual work is then employed to weakly enforce the equilibrium conditions for the self-equilibrated moment field. On this basis, a lower bound analysis framework is established following the lower bound theorem of plastic limit analysis, which maximizes the limit load multiplier subject to two essential constraints, namely the equilibrium conditions of a self-equilibrated moment field and the von Mises yield criterion. The von Mises yield criterion is reformulated into second-order cone constraints, thereby leading to a standard second-order cone programming (SOCP) problem that is efficiently solved using the primal-dual interior-point method as implemented in MOSEK. Numerical results validate the rationality and effectiveness of the proposed method, demonstrating superior accuracy and robustness even for severely distorted meshes.</p>