Phyllostachys praecox C. D. Chu et C. S. Chao, a favored bamboo shoot species, has been widely planted in recent years. Four stands with different historical management practices were selected for this study to understand the evolution of soil microbial ecology by determining the effects of a new mulching and heavy fertilization practice on soil quality using microbiological parameters. Compared with the traditional practice (index 1), microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and soil microbial respiration carbon (MRC) with the new management practice significantly decreased (P ＜ 0.01 and P ＜ 0.05,respectively) with 1-2 years of mulching (index 2) and then for continued mulching significantly increased (P ＜ 0.05). The ratios of MBC/TOC (total organic carbon) and MRC/TOC also significantly diminished (P ＜ 0.05) with mulching. The average well color development (AWCD) and Shannon index decreased with mulching time, and the significant decrease(P ＜ 0.05) in Shannon index occurred from index 2 to index 3. The results from a principal components analysis (PCA)showed that the scores of the first principal component for indexes 1 and 2 were significantly larger (P ＜ 0.05) than soils mulched 3-4 years or 5-6 years. Also, the second principal component scores for index 1 were larger than those for index 2, suggesting that the ability of soil microorganisms to utilize soil carbon was decreasing with longer use of the new management practice and causing a deterioration of soil biological properties.