With the continuous development of the economy, the improvement of the comprehensive national strength, and the application of high and new technologies, the drilling and blasting(D&B) tunnel construction technology has achieved unprecedented rapid development in China. In this paper, in order to sum up relevant experience for reference in subsequent key and difficult projects, the D&B construction technology is reviewed and summarized, and its future application is prospected. Firstly, the development history of the D&B construction technology in China is reviewed, and five major technical breakthroughs are expounded in turn, including the adoption of the wet drilling, the introduction of the multiboom rockdrilling jumbo, the application of the emulsion explosives, the wide application of the Nonel detonator initiation system, and the application and popularization of the industrial digital electronic detonators. Then, the concept and method of D&B construction, the equipment matching for mechanized construction, and the state of art and development trend of relevant technologies are introduced, involving the ventilation technology for extralong tunnels and extralong tunneling distance, the construction technology for tunnels with extralarge cover and extremely complex geological conditions, the construction technology for extralong underwater tunnels with high water pressure, the construction technology for tunnels with extralarge crosssections and tunnel groups, and the technology of advance geological prediction. Finally, the problems that need to be solved in the future, such as the intelligent tunnel construction technology and the green and lowcarbon construction technology, are considered. The research shows that the D&B method has significant advantages in the construction of long tunnels with complex geological conditions, and will still play a major role in tunnel construction within a certain period of time. In the future, the focus shall be laid on the development of mechanized, intelligent, green, and lowcarbon construction technologies to further improve the efficiency and level of D&B construction.