A series of zinc oxide (ZnO) nano-/micro-rods had been synthesized via solution-based routes. In the hydrothermal route, the obtained ZnO nano-/micro-rods had two topographics. In refluxing procedures, spindly ZnO nanorods were obtained in the presence of poly(vinyl-pyrrolidone) (PVP) and ellipsoid-like nanorods were obtained in the absence of PVP. The products were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and electron diffraction (ED) analysis. Room temperature photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the ZnO products demonstrated a weak UV emission and a broad visible emission for each of the sample. The growth mechanism of 1-D ZnO crystals was discussed briefly.