Bacterial cellulose (BC), which is produced by some bacteria, has unique structural, functional, physical and chemical properties. Thus, the mass production of BC for industrial application has recently attracted considerable attention. To enhance BC production, two aspects have been considered, namely, the engineering and genetic viewpoints. The former includes the reactor design, nutrient selection, process control and optimization; and the latter the cloning of the BC synthesis gene, and the genetic modification of the speculated genes for higher BC production. In this review, recent advances in BC production from the two viewpoints mentioned above are described, mainly using the bacterium Gluconacetobacter xylinus.