The contents of heavy metals Zn，Pb，Cr，Cd and Cu were determined in wetland(WL)and its adjacent forest land(FL)and cultivated land(CL)in the ancient bed of Yellow River in eastern Henan province by atomic absorption spectrometry. The characteristics of heavy metal pollution and potential ecological risks were evaluated by geological accumulation index method and potential ecological risk index method. The results showed that the average contents of Cr and Cd in WL，FL and CL of the ancient bed of Yellow River were 289.46，308.17，378.58 and 2.03，2.47 and 2.62 mg·kg-1，respectively，which were 10.51 and 37.69 times of the background value of soil environment in the ancient bed of Yellow River，and all exceeded the screening value of soil pollution risk of agricultural land，while the contents of Zn，Pb and Cu were equal to or even lower than the background values of soil environment. The contents of these five heavy metal elements in WL，FL and CL appeared as WL < FL < CL. The results of pollution assessment showed that in these three types of sample plots，Cd reached the level of weak extreme pollution，which belonged to high potential ecological risk；Cr reached weak or severe pollution level，but it belonged to mild potential ecological risk；Zn，Pb and Cu were at the level of no pollution or slight pollution，which belonged to slight potential ecological risks. The comprehensive potential ecological risk index of WL，FL and CL in the ancient bed of Yellow River in eastern Henan province all exceeded 480，which showed a high potential ecological risk. Cd from industrial “three wastes”，soil-forming parent material and agricultural activities were the most important pollution factors in this region，contributing 97.23% to the comprehensive potential ecological risk，which needs to be comprehensively rectified in time；Cr，Pb，Cu and Zn from soil parent materials or human agricultural activities were potential ecological risk factors of heavy metal pollution in the ancient bed of Yellow River，which should be prevented and controlled in time.