The joint operation of large-scale cascade reservoirs in the Yangtze River basin will not only strengthen the flood control capability, but also bring great integrated benefit to water resources utilization and hydropower output due to their  tremendous storage capacity and hydropower installed capacity. The key  issues in the development, running and management of joint operation system are proposed. According to researches performed in recent years, research achievements and progresses with respect to the developing strategy, the multi-objective optimization model, the ecological operation, the management system and coordination mechanism, and the system simulation technology for the joint operation of large-scale cascade reservoirs are presented.