The Eastern China(approximately 32°N to 37°N, 114°E to 121°E), characterized by numerous lakes generally underwent eutrophication and watershed vegetation destruction, is a key region for modern ecological protection and research on the interference of human activities on lake ecosystem. In recent years, lake sedimentary DNA technology has begun to be used in lake aquatic plant surveys and terrestrial vegetation reconstruction, but its applicability in Eastern China and the relationship between plant DNA signals and lake circumference and vegetation need to be further evaluated. In this study, we used the trnL g-h universal primers to amplify plant DNA in surface sediments from 22 lakes from the Eastern China. The applicability and limitations of using plant DNA metabarcoding for modern vegetation monitoring and vegetation reconstructions have been assessed by combining with the lake morphological characteristics, physicochemical parameters of water and sediments, and surrounding land-use types. The results showed that sedimentary plant DNA has certain advantages over pollen analysis in terms of taxonomic resolution and identification efficiency. Unlike the regional vegetation signals detected by pollen, sedimentary plant DNA reflects the local or peri-lake vegetation composition, and can differentiate the dominant plant signals in forests, farmlands and construction sites around the lake. In addition, the mean annual precipitation and the land-use types affected the abundance of terrestrial sedimentary plant DNA, and the mean annual temperature is also an important factor impacting the preservation of sedimentary plant DNA. This study highlights the applicability of sedimentary plant DNA in local vegetation reconstruction under the influence of long-term human activities in Eastern China. But the above conclusion also relies on further research and understanding on the modern processes of sedimentary plant DNA.