Abstract: To characterise the macrobenthic fauna in the sandy beaches and the impact of beach restoration on the fauna, an investigation was conducted on the transects of seven sandy intertidal zones on Xiamen Island, in May, September and October, the spring and autumn of 2021. The composition and distribution of macrobenthic fauna and the influencing factors were studied. As results, 176 species were identified in total, with an average biomass of 9.05 g/m² and an average density of 45.59 ind/m². There was a noticeable species turnover between spring and autumn, with the numbers of species, biomass and population density all higher in spring than in autumn. The species and biomass showed that they were more prevalent on the east shore and relatively less on the south shore, exhibiting an uneven density distribution pattern. The distribution of species on the transects shows that there were more species in the middle intertidal zones of the Pearl Bay Beach XM2 and Guanyinshan North Beach XM7. However, the number of species was higher in low intertidal zone, than middle intertidal zone and high intertidal zone on the other transect. Nitrite, dissolved oxygen and salinity in water were the most relevant environmental factors influencing macrobenthic fauna on the sandy beaches of Xiamen Island. And sedimental factors should have played a crucial role in shaping the composition and distribution of macrobenthic fauna on these beaches as increased compositions of gravel or fine sand were associated with higher number of species. The artificially restored beaches could form stable habitats for macrobenthic fauna. The species, biomass and density were not significantly different from those found on the natural sandy beaches. The ecological recovery due to the beach restoration was successful. Additionally, the changes in substrates resulted from the beach restoration significantly altered the benthic community.