The present study is to evaluate the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and analyze the effect of occupational stress, job burnout and coping resource on the HRQOL among nurses in China. A total of 1,012 nurses were recruited from eight hospitals of two provinces in 2008. The Chinese version of Short Form-36 Health Survey and Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey were used to measure the HRQOL and burnout respectively, the Occupation Stress Inventory-Revised Edition was used to evaluate occupational stressor, personal strain and coping resources. Other potential influencing factors for HRQOL were collected using a structured questionnaire. HRQOL in the nurses was lower than that in the general population. Occupational stressor, personal strain and job burnout correlated negatively with the HRQOL (p<0.05) while coping resources was positively related to the HRQOL (p<0.05). Among the predictive factors for HRQOL, occupational stressor (indicated by role insufficiency and physical environment), personal strain (indicated by physical strain and psychological strain), job burnout (indicated by emotional exhaustion and professional efficacy), length of work hours (≥10 h per day), diet irregularity and age were the main risk factors for HRQOL, while recreation and self-care were the main protective factors for HRQOL. The findings suggest occupational stress, job burnout and coping resources play important roles in HRQOL in the Chinese nurses.