Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are cells with unlimited self-renewing property and differentiation potential mainly derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of human blastocyst. Because of the remarkable developmental potential and proliferative capacity, human embryonic stem cells hold great promise for future use in various research areas, such as human developmental biology and cell-based therapy. This review expounds the culture system of human embryonic stem cells and the induced differentiation technology in vitro.