Abstract: Ever since the foundation of Tarim Oilfield Company on April 10, 1989, great achievements have been obtained in 3 major fields: Kuqa foreland depression, carbonate rocks and clastics in the platform region with the cumulative proved oil and gas reserves amounting to 2.88 billion tons (equivalent). Tarim oilfield has become the major source area for the West-to-East natural gas transmission project and the third large oil and gas field in the mainland China. During the past 30 years of exploration practice, geological understandings about the foreland Kuqa depression, Southwest depression, carbonate rocks in the platform region and clastics in the platform region were continuously deepened, and the source rock, reservoir-cap rock assemblage, structure style, trap and reservoir model were identified for the 3 petroleum systems such as Kuqa depression, platform region and Southwest depression. The remaining exploration potentials of Tarim basin are enormous. The fine exploration should be carried out in the Kelasu tectonic belt of Kuqa depression, clastics in the western Tabei uplift, Ordovician Yijianfang formation in Tabei—Manxi area. The researches and exploration of Qiulitage tectonic belt in Kuqa depression, Jurassic series in the northern tectonic belt, Ordovician deep series in the platform region, Cambrian subsalt strata and piedmont area in the Southwest depression should be strengthened and the strategic breakthrough can be made