This thesis, in retrospect on the past decade’s construction of key institutes for humanities and social sciences in universities, summarizes the major experience of the key institutes in targeting domestically advanced and world levels, pooling talents by their research platforms, forming a network for domestic and international academic exchanges, playing a think tank role with a reasonably structured scheme, and deepening research system reform in the direction of “opening up institutes and allowing personnel exchanges” Besides, this thesis also tries to discuss the problems that need to be solved for further development from the respects of internationalization, setup of entities using research results, injection of resources and matching reforms Around one hundred key institutes in universities are now an important part of China’s comprehensive national strength By further emancipating mind, taking roots in China’s reality, and speeding up the pace of internationalization, these bases will play a larger part in constructing a world-level system of humanities and social sciences with Chinese characteristics and style