Purple soils (0-20 cm layer) located in a restoration region of Hengyang, South-central China were examined under six different land use types, comprising: natural grassland (NGL), artificial grassland (AGL), artificial shrub and grassland (ASGL), artificial shrub land (ASL), slope farmland (SFL), and artificial forest land (AFL) . The effects of different land use types on soil physico-chemical and biological properties were analyzed. Soil quality under different land use types was evaluated by using principal component analysis (PCA) . The results showed that: total nitrogen, alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen, and available phosphorus content under AGL, ASGL, and SFL were significantly higher than for the other three land use types (P<0. 05), while soil pH value, bulk density, and capillary porosity in AGL, ASGL and SFL were significantly lower than those of the other types (P<0. 05), and there was no significant difference in available potassium content among the six land use types (P>0. 05) . Total phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) concentration; bacterial, fungal, and actinomycete contents; urease, sucrase, phosphatase, and protease activities; and the contents of soil microbial biomass carbon and soil microbial biomass nitrogen were significantly higher in AGL, ASGL, and SFL than the other land use types (P<0. 05) . There were strong correlations among all fertility factors apart from readily available potassium content. PCA showed that AGL, ASGL, and SFL land use types were more beneficial for the recovery of soil quality in the restoration region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]