1978年改革开放以来，人文地理学，作为地理学的重要分支学科，在为国家发展服务中发挥了重要的作用，与此同时，在国家发展的过程中学科发展蓬勃兴旺。然而，关于人文地理学的科学地位始终处在议论之中，尤其对人文地理学的研究方法长期处在争论之中。在全球化的大背景下，世界需要了解中国，中国需要走进世界，发挥人文地理学的作用越来越重要。本文从地理学发展历程阐述人文地理学是地理学的重要组成部分；中国人文地理学的发展具有重要的地位和作用，一方面经济社会政治制度环境的转变需要中国人文地理学的发展，另一方面随着中国经济国际地位的增强，需要人文地理学为国家发展做出更重要的贡献。人文地理学具有自身的发展规律和研究方法，需要解放思想，注意在经济学的价值规律、社会科学的社会公平价值规律、自然科学的景观分析方法和历史学的历史分析方法以及数量分析等方面进一步深入挖掘。中国人文地理学研究，既需要对已有成果的概括提升，也需要有一种深度挖掘和创新的过程。

Chinese human geography, as a branch of geography, has played an important role in the service of development for the country since the reform and opening up, at the same time, the process of national development has flourished the disciplines of human geography. However, much discussion has taken place on the status of human geography, in particular the debates have been long focused on human geography research methodology. In the context of globalization, the world needs to understand China, and China needs to enter the world system, thus in this process human geography will become even more important than ever. This paper explores the development process of human geography, and highlights the role that human geography has played as a major part of geography. On the one hand, economic, social and political changes in China have promoted the development of human geography, and on the other hand, Chinese human geography can make its due contributions to the development of the country with the enhancement of China's international economic status. Besides, human geography has its own law of development and research methods. We should emancipate the mind, and pay more attention to the law of value in economics, the value of social justice in social science, natural landscape and historical analysis methods, and analysis of quantity. There is a need to deepen and innovate the Chinese human geography research as well as to upgrade its results obtained in previous studies.