Protective coatings were synthesized on the Mg-2Zn-Mn-Ca-CeMg alloy through the hydrothermal method with de-ionized water as the reagent. The coatings were composed of Mg hydroxide, generally uniform and compact.Hydrogen evolution tests and electrochemical tests in the Hanks’ solution demonstrated that the Mg(OH)_2coatings effectively decreased the bio-degradation rate of the Mg alloy substrate. Microstructure observation showed that the coating formation on the secondary phases was more difficult than that on the α-Mg matrix,which led to micro cracks and pores on the secondary phases after drying. Over synthesizing time, the coating layer on secondary phases gradually becomes more compact and uniform. Meanwhile, owing to the thicker and more compact coatings, the corrosion resistance and protective efficiency were significantly improved with longer synthesizing time as well. Protective coatings were synthesized on the Mg-2Zn-Mn-Ca-CeMg alloy through the hydrothermal method with de-ionized water as the reagent. The coatings were composed of Mg hydroxide, generally uniform and compact. Hydrogen evolution tests and electrochemical tests in the Hanks’ solution demonstrated that the Mg (OH) _2 cooatings substantially decreased the bio-degradation rate of the Mg alloy substrate. Which results in the coating formation on the secondary phases was more difficult than that on α-Mg matrix, which led to Over synthesizing time, the coating layer on the secondary phases than drying. synthesizing time as well