Rotifer resting eggs in sediments collected from the two basins of Lake Jinghu were incubated in situ, and a total of 39 rotifer species belonging to 19 genera and 7 families were recorded. The mean number of hatched rotifers from per 200 milliliters sediments of the big basin was (212.2±48.9) individuals, that of the small basin was (39.1±10.3) individuals. In the big basin, Cephalodella exigua, Euchlanis dilatata and Brachionus urceolaris hatched in Summer, B. diversicornis and B. angularis hatched in Autumn, and Trichocerca pusilla and T. similes hatched in Spring accounted for 51.1%, 19.7%, 157%, 14.7%, 11.1%, 38.4% and 23.7% of the total rotifers hatched in the same season, respectively. In the small basin, however, Proalides tentaculates and T. pusilla hatched in Summer, Anuraeopsis fissa, Monostyla closterocerca and E. dilatata hatched in Autumn, and M. closterocerca, Lepadella patella and T. pusilla hatched in Spring accounted for 53.9%, 31.6%, 18%, 17%, 13%, 31%, 24.1% and 17.2% of the total number of the rotifers hatched in the same season, respectively. The obvious discrepancy of species composition and density between the rotifers hatched from the sediments and those existing in the contemporary water indicated that the hatching of rotifer resting eggs in the sediments might not contribute immediately much to the population growth of rotifers which survive throughout the year, but play different roles in reconstructing populations of rotifers which disappeared from the water for portions of the year, depending on the rotifer species.