The combination studies of orogenic belt and foreland basin is becoming a main trend of the continent research. The orogenic belt and foreland basin were formed in a same geodynamic system. Their formational and evolutionary processes are affected by the rheological structure of continental lithosphere. Based on a large number of study results and the synthetical studies of the structure and dynamics of continental lithosphere, some ideas and methods of the orogenic belt and foreland basin research are discussed, and the advances in the studies of structure and evolution of orogenic belt and foreland basin are reviewed. The authors point out that a foreland basin, which was formed by the flexural deformation due to foreland thrust loading, is a key to solving the major problems of orogenic belt.