With the further development of national economy, people have become more concerned about the environment quality. Especially in recent years, due to the frequent occurrence of hazy weather, there has been a growing demand for clean energy [Fig. 1]. As one kind of non-conventional energy, natural gas hydrate, featured by large reserves and relatively clean products of combustion, is considered by the scientific community to be an alternative energy resource in replacement of coal and petroleum. This paper gives a brief introduction of the research progress of natural gas hydrate both at home and abroad, presents the research results and the obstacles in the next step to be taken for China, and then looks into the future development trend.