The invention discloses an experimental system and method for studying an action mechanism of explosive stress waves of surrounding rock. The system can change surrounding rock stress, the number of cartridge bags, the positions of the cartridge bags, the explosive charge amount, the explosive hole diameter and the like, and analyze the action mechanism, cracking speed and crack propagation situation of the explosive stress waves on the rock mass by reading strain data of the rock mass around blast holes in the instantaneous blasting process. The system for studying the action mechanism of theexplosive stress waves of the surrounding rock can study the action mechanism on a test piece when the explosive stress waves are generated, the effects of the explosive stress waves during crackingof a crack of the test piece and the effect and rule of superposition of the explosive stress waves under confining pressure of different strengths, and more deeply study the fracture dynamics theoryand stress wave theory on this basis.