To find out a solution depends on liberating minds, and to obtain success relies on being realistic and pragmatic. This is a summary of the exploration experience in Daqing Oilfield in the past 50 year. In this paper, a large number of facts are used, the contribution of the idea of “liberating minds and being realistic and pragmatic” to the exploration for oil and gas in the oilfield is elaborated in details. It is further clarified that liberating minds should be guided by the practice theory. Led by the theory of contradictions, liberating minds means to analyze and solve problems in exploration from the development, dialectical, and systematic perspectives. The process of being realistic and pragmatic is promoted increasingly by liberatingminds, and the degree of liberation should be judged by whether it conforms to the practice. Each time liberating the mind must be accompanied by the practical actions, and each time being realistic and pragmatic will bring a new round of liberating minds. They together boost the development of exploration.

Reviewing the exploration history ofDaqing Oilfield and analyzing the technological development and exploration results at different periods, exploration in the oilfield is divided into four stages, i.e. the exploration of structural reservoirs, the preparation for exploration of lithological reservoirs, the exploration of lithological reservoirs, and the exploration of lithological oil and gas reservoirs. Through summarizing the geological problems of all stages, the preparation and development of exploration equipments, the recognition of geological theories and methods, the core exploration technologies and exploration results, the important role of theoretical and technological progress of exploration in oil and gas exploration is elaborated. 1.83 billion tons of proven oil reserves and 271.8 billion cubic meters of gas reserves are newly discovered in Daqing peripheral oilfields. The new discovery shows that technological progress is an inexhaustible motive force to promote the sustainable development of oil and gas exploration.

The producing percent of reserves was relatively low in Daqing Oilfield before 2002, because of the then problems in exploration and development in the oilfield, such as the geological study, the application of surface data, and the cultivation of qualified personnel. To solve the problems, the integration of exploration and development is implemented. Through years of efforts, the proven reserves of the oilfield have reached a third peak. The producing percent of reserves has been increased a lot through exploring effective means of development actively. The production in the peripheral oilfields has been increased effectively and rapidly, and harmonious exploration-development integration is fulfilled.

The essence of modern oil and gas exploration is to fulfill the unity of scientific exploration and highly developed information technologies on the basis of computer technologies. As the nervous system of scientific exploration and an important means of knowledge innovation of the enterprise, the informational construction of exploration in Daqing Oilfield has made great progress in the development and application of database, network, application software and collaborating work platform for exploration, after 50 years of development. It has become the new impetus to the development of oil and gas exploration and played an active role in making scientific decisions for exploration and improving the efficiency and level of management. A set of basic ideas and methods of construction of informational exploration of distinctive Daqing features are developed during the exploration practice.

The ultimate goal of scientific exploration is to discover and increase oil and gas reserves using the best way. The fundamental purpose of “four evaluations” is to find out oil and gas reserves at all levels, and the results of which are the establishment of the exploration knowledge base and the 3-D seismic models. The process of “four evaluations” is a process of deepening the understanding of geological laws and improving the exploration knowledge base and the 3-D seismic models increasingly, and it will work throughout the process of exploration for oil and gas. The standard system of “four evaluations” shows the workflow and standard of exploration theories, technologies, methods and all sectors in respect of target evaluations at four levels. So the traditional exploration mode is changed which is only based on experience, uses the shaft technology as the approach, and focuses on exploration engineering construction. A modern mode is set up, which depends on scientific decisions and comprehensive geological study, focuses on making benefits, and aims at establishing rational reserves sequence. Therefore, th e“four evaluations” can be regarded as the core of scientific exploration. Along with the progress of exploration theories and technologies, the content and method of “four evaluations” should be improved increasingly.

Daqing exploration management lays emphasis on the management of exploration planning programs and the management of exploration projects. This paper reviews the history of exploration planning and exploration project management of the oilfield, and summarizes the successful experience of exploration planning and project management. Daqing Oilfield always takes planning decisions as the maximum benefit from oil and gas exploration and at the same time the source of greatest risk, focusing on the three links, i.e. target determination, program organization, and effectiveness evaluation. Based on the review and summary, the exploration planning assumption of the “12th Five-Year Plan” and the six inspirations to improve planning programs management are proposed. The management of exploration projects enables the exploration planning programs to be implemented effectively. The “three changes” of the early stage of project management improves the efficiency remarkably, enhances the projects, and increases resource reserves rapidly. As a result, exploration is upgraded greatly. Entity project management makes the mechanism of exploration project management more perfect and be qualified for market economy development. Furthermore, the exploration benefit is highlighted and plays an important role in the whole progress of project management. It is indicated that the implementation of advanced exploration project management is not only the requirement of scientific exploration, but serves as an important guarantee for the fulfillment of scientific exploration.

Since the establishment of the Songliao Oil Exploration Unit by the Ministry of Petroleum in 1958, Daqing Oilfield now owns qualified personnel with professional competition, strong power and brave heart, through cultivating them in all forms of education and training. Great achievements have been obtained in the development of exploration theories, technological progress, and scientific research, contributing a lot to the discovery and development of Daqing Oilfield. To better guarantee the steady crude production of 40 million tons and the strategic goal of creating a “Century Oilfield”, according to the overall idea of scientific exploration, all personnel of the exploration system are making a solid progress in exploration, sparing no efforts to create the exploration system into an organic whole featuring in independent innovation, self-improvement, and high efficiency.