This paper aims to clarify the current status, hotspots, historical evolution and development trend of the research on funding and management of basic research in China. Firstly, 736 relevant papers indexed during 1992-2019 in the core journal database of China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) were analyzed in details. Using the information visualization software CiteSpaceV5.6.R3, the institutional cooperation co-occurrence map, author cooperation co-occurrence map, keyword co-occurrence map, and keyword timeline view maps were plotted through content mining. The results show that: the research institutions in the research field of basic research funding and management have formed three core cooperation networks, and the institutions in Beijing attract the most attention; most of the prolific and active authors choose teamwork over independent research; the research topics mainly fall into four aspects of basic research: input, subjects, results, and talents; the research hotspots are in line with policies and demands, and evolve through three stages: exploration and gradual progress, adjustment and development, and expansion and acceleration. The research results open up a new direction for relevant studies, and provide a reference for innovative parties to implement basic research.