The development of low-carbon economy is a major strategic initiative to ease the pressure on resources, protect ecological environment, develop clean resources and promote sustainable development in the global economy. Based on current academic research on the status of low-carbon economy, this article analyzes the origin, development and research of the main contents of low carbon economy, generalizes and summarizes its typical practice and promoting strategies, the basic trends, the constraint factors and the institutional environment and so on, and briefly reviews the main research direction and the theory and practice which need to be further strengthened in the future.