Pickering emulsions are emulsions stabilized by colloidal surfactants, i.e. solid particles. Compared with traditional molecular surfactant-stabilized emulsions, Pickering emulsions show many advantages, such as high resistance to coalescence, long-term stability, good biocompatibility and tunable properties. In recent years, Pickering emulsions are widely applied in scientific researches and industrial applications. In this review, we focus on the influences of particle properties on Pickering emulsions, including particle amphiphilicity, concentration, size and shape, and summarize the strategies developed for the preparation of amphiphilic Janus particles. The applications of Pickering emulsions in food industry, cosmetic industry, material science, drug delivery, biomedical research and vaccine adjuvant will also be covered. Pickering emulsions are a unique system for multi-disciplinary studies and will become more and more important in the future.