The Hoh Xil basin with Cenozoic sediments as thick as 5737. 5 m is the largest Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. This paper presents the reconstruction of a seven-stage deposi-tional history of the Cenozoic Hoh Xil basin from 56 to 16 Ma, except a sedimentary hiatus between 30 and 23 Ma, when there was no occurrence of sedimentation because the basin was uplifted and deformed. The study is based on comprehensive correlation of sedimentary sequences, lithologic characteristics, depositional environments and palaeocurrent directions, which were derived from many field measured sections and geologic sites distributed in the entire basin. A palaeomagnetostratigraphic dating of the typical sections provides a geologic time outline with lithologic columns. The results show that the depocentre of the Hoh Xil basin migrated northward and eastward during the first six stages (56-30 Ma). The migration could beproduced by intensified tectonic thrusting on the south and west margins of the Hoh Xil basin. In addition, a strong north-southward shortening happened during the late Oligocene. The authors thus deduce that the early uplifting processes of the Qinghai - Tibet Plateau hinterland could be produced by the north-southward shortening and northeastward thrusting growth. During the early Miocene of 23 -16 Ma, only a low-grade deformation happened in the Hoh Xil basin sediments. This could indicate that the uplift of the plateau hinterland was based on the differential u-plift.