Abstract: 5-Hydroxymethyl furfural(HMF) was a kind of important platform chemical compound, which was a precursor for producing liquid biofuel and many other important fine chemicals. The synthesis of HMF from biomass was one of the hot topics in the comprehensive utilization of biomass resources. Bamboo has the advantages of fast growth, short mature period, high yield and continuous use for years after once planting, and it contains a mass of cellulose. Glucose could be obtained from hydrolysis of the nature abundant cellulose, and HMF could be prepared by dehydration of glucose. Therefore, the catalytic conversion of bamboo to produce HMF had the advantages of abundant raw materials resources and green feasible technical route. In order to realize the efficient conversion of bamboo to HMF, the design and selection of catalytic system were the key factors. In this paper, the research on the preparation of HMF by catalytic conversion of bamboo in recent years was reviewed. Starting from the composition and characteristics of bamboo raw materials, the chemical composition and microstructure of bamboo were analyzed firstly, and then, the catalytic conversion mechanism was further elaborated. In particular, the influence mechanism on the preparation of HMF from bamboo by homogeneous catalyst, heterogeneous catalyst and other catalysts was analyzed in detail. The choice of solvent system was also discussed. Finally, combined with the development trend, the future development direction of its technology was proposed, which provided constructive suggestions for the development and industrial application of bamboo-based HMF technology.