Countercurrent chromatography having no solid-support for stationary phase is one kind of liquid chromatography. It can be applied both on analytical and preparative separations. In this article we introduce the theory, instrumental evolution, some applications and the techniques developed recently of countercurrent chromatography. We also compare it with the commonly used HPLC to emphasize its attractive features and excellent separation ability. such as on biological particles, crude extraction solution, etc.