Objective To explore the method of isolating rabbit chondrocytes in vitro and observe their bioactivity when co-cultured with type Ⅰ/Ⅱ collagen membrane. Methods Articular cartilage was taken under aespetic conditions after the New Zealand rabbits at 4 weeks of age were sacrificed. Chondrocytes were digested by trypsin and type Ⅱ collagenase. The features of the chondrocytes were observed under inverted phase contrast microscope. The slides of cells were stained by toluidine blue. The third-generation rabbit chondrocytes were co-cultured with type Ⅰ/Ⅱ collagen membrane. The growth of the chondrocytes on type Ⅰ/Ⅱ collagen membrane was observed by the method of MTT, test of glycosaminoglycan and scaning electron microscopy. Results The original-generation chondrocytes were oval in the beginning, then they were triangle or polygan. The chondrocytes could be stained by toluidine blue. They grew well on the type Ⅰ/Ⅱ collagen membrane. Conclusions A large number of chondrocytes can be obtained by two-enzyme method. Chondrocytes can amplify normally on the type Ⅰ/Ⅱ collagen membrane, which can be demonstrated by MTT method and scaning electron microscopy.