To discuss the optical properties of water body in Xiaojiang river backwater area for the early impounding stage of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), the spatiotemporal variations of visible light attenuation coefficients (Kd) and Secchi Disc transparency (SD) are investigated during the period from January, 2008 to December, 2008. The correlations between Kd and SD, total particulate matters (TPM), dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and chlorophyll-a (Chla) are also analyzed according to the monitoring data. In the study area, there are no significant spatial variations in the mean Kd at five sampling stations, but the seasonal variations are obvious with the highest value of Kd in the winter and the lowest value in the summer. The range of Kd is 0.23~4.82 m-1, and the mean value is (1.03±0.07) m-1. Statistics analysis suggests that there are remarkable correlations between Kd and SD, TPM, TIM as revealed by the coefficient of determination R2=0.779 1, R2 =0.728 5 and R2=0.763 7, respectively. The relationship between Kd and DOC is less significant as shown by the low value of R2=0.128 9. However, the correlation between Kd and Chla is weak which can be seen from the value of R2=0.006. The analysis suggests that total inorganic particulate matters largely influenced the optical properties of water body in Xiaojiang river backwater area.