With the acceleration of urbanization process in China,the environmental issues initiated by urban surface change and precipitation runoff is increasingly serious. Bioretention technology,as one of the low-impact development measures,plays an important role on detaining,absorbing and purifying rainfall runoff. In this paper,the research trends of bioretention technology at home and abroad were comprehensively analyzed. The emphasis was to focus on the composition elements of bioretention system,runoff purification effect of bioretention system,hydrologic performance of bioretention system,and simulation models of water quality and water volume of bioretention system. The deficiency of present research on bioretention technology including purification mechanism,performance,affecting factors,simulation models,design and other aspects was discussed. The future research directions of bioretention technology,such as enhancing the removal efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus,local application mechanism,design method,clogging mechanism and key anti-blocking technology,were also prospected so as to provide the references for the eco-city construction and urban water environment improvement in China.