The cholesteric liquid crystalline structure in chitosan/polyacrylic acid composite films was studied by surfacetechniques. A periodical lamellar-like structure was observed in the permanganic acid etched film sufface by both scanningelectron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), instead of the thumb-print texture which can be detectedwith polarized optical microscopy. It is suggested that the periodical lamellar-like structure is induced by the etchingselectivity between cholesteric layers due to different molecular arrangement on the film surface. Four kinds of perpendiculardisclinations, i.e. χ→τ→λ~+, χ→λ+τ~+, χ→τ+τ~+ and χ→λ~- +λ~+, were found in the composite films from SEMobservations. The smallest periodicity of lamellar-like structure (equals to half pitch) is 20～40 nm measured with AFM. The cholesteric liquid crystalline structure in chitosan / polyacrylic acid composite films was studied by surface techniques. A periodical lamellar-like structure was observed in the permanganic acid etched film sufface by both scanningelectron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM), instead of the thumb-print texture which can be detected with polarized optical microscopy. It is suggested that the periodical lamellar-like structure is induced by the etchingselectivity between cholesteric layers due to different molecular arrangements on the film surface. The smallest periodicity of lamellar-like structures (equals to λ), λ → +, χ → λ + τ ~ +, χ → τ + τ ~ + and χ → λ ~ - + λ ~ + half pitch is 20 to 40 nm measured with AFM.