Dongting lake, which had been the largest fresh water lake of china with an area of more than 6000 km²,plays a significant role in adjusting runoff of the middle Yangtze river.Dongting Lake has dramatically changed for the past 100 years, of which the area has reduced to 2625km² up to now, and becomes the second largest fresh water lake for the serious siltation of mud and sand.The reduction of the area results in the diminishment of the ecological function, and also leads to the more serious flood and degeneration of the wetlands.The guide principles of floods control of the Yangtze catchment, which refers to restoring lake by stopping cultivation, was implemented by the central government after the flood disaster in 1998, and the projects including "restoring lakes by stopping cultivation" etc have been carried out in the area of the Dongting Lake.In the article, the process of ecological restoration of Dongting Lake by stopping cultivation is analysed in Han-shou County of Hunan Province as the experimental area.The results present a staggered feature of restoration of the wetlands, and offer new way and scientific experiemental basis to harness the problem of eutrophication in lakes and wetlands.