Abstract: 【Objective】 Abandoned salinized land in Xinjiang of China is being reclaimed for cotton production. The effect of reclamation on soil quality and function was obtained by comparing the changes of soil bacterial communities before and after reclamation.【Method】The specific objectives of this field study were: (1) to compare bacterial composition and diversity in unfarmed (i.e., unreclaimed) and cropped soils and (2) to explore the specific functions of the flora identified by Illumina MiSeq sequencing.【Result】Reclamation significantly reduced soil EC and available K, and significantly increased SOM, available N, and available P. Bacterial species richness and diversity increased when abandoned farmland was reclaimed for cotton production. Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in unfarmed soil. Reclamation reduced the relative abundance of Firmicutes, but increased the contents of Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, and Actinobacteria. Cluster analyses showed that there was a significant difference in the bacterial community between the abandoned farmland and the cultivated land after the reclamation.【Conclusion】In general, cotton production after reclamation improved soil physical and chemical properties and changed the structure and composition of soil bacterial communities compared with unfarmed soil.