The well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays were fabricated through a simple chemical process under low temperature. The nanorod arrays were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM, HRTEM and SAED, and their optical performances were investigated with Raman and PL spectroscopy. The results show that the as-prepared ZnO nanorod arrays are dense, the individual ZnO nanorod is hexagonal shape and grows along c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface with good single crystal in nature. The Raman property of nanorod arrays displays change with the altering the preparation conditions. Moreover, the PL performances of ZnO nanorod arrays exhibit tunable character with adjusting the synthesis conditions.