Cement hydration is a key process to determine most properties of cementitious materials. Clarifying the mechanisms of cement hydration intersects both academic and practical interests. Recent research work on Portland cement hydration kinetic models was reviewed. The hydration simulation models, such as GEMS thermodynamic calculation, HymoStruc3D and CEMHY3D and other hydration simulation models and their limitations were discussed. The application of quasi-elastic neutron scattering and nuclear magnetic resonance methods in the evolution of water states and the development of pore structure during cement hydration process were summarized. In addition, this review also gave the future developemt and challenges in this field.