Macroinvertebrates are important components and index for assessing the ecological status of aquatic ecosystems. This paper compared the difference in water quality and macroinvertebrate communities between the restored area and un-restored area in Lake Yanglan, and assessed the ecological status of the lake ecosystems. The results showed that total phosphorus (TP), total nitrogen (TN) and chlorophyll-a (Chl.a) in water columns were significantly lower in the restored area than those in the un-restored area. The average secchi depth (SD) was significantly higher in the restored area than that in the un-restored area. Thirty macroinvertebrate species from 12 families, 4 classes and 3 phyla were found, 29 species in the restored area and 19 species in the un-restored area. The average density (biomass) of molluscs were 369.3 ind./m² (102.9 g/m²) and 34.7 ind./m²(37.2 g/m²) in the restored and un-restored area, respectively. Biotic Index (BI) and Multimetric Macroinvertebrate Index Flanders (MMIF) based on the macroinvertebrate structure indicated that ecological status was improved in the restored area comparing the un-restored area. Our study suggests that restoration combined with transparency improvement, fish control and macrophyte re-establishment can improve water quality and the ecological status of eutrophic lakes.