In the paper, ZnO nanopowders were synthesized by using zinc acetate and sodium hydroxide as raw materials. The influences of different soft templates and synthesis temperature on the properties of ZnO nanopowders were investigated. The results showed that: when using the polyethylene glycol (PEG (400)) or polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as soft template, the ZnO nanoparticles with the diameter about 100nm were obtained, whereas the ZnO nanorods which the length and diameter were 300nm and 150nm respectively were obtained without soft template. When the synthesis temperature was 220°C and 70°C, the ZnO nanorods were obtained. When the temperature was 100°C, the ZnO nanosheets were produced, and the length, width and thickness of ZnO nanosheets were about 800 nm, 500nm and 80nm, respectively. When the temperature was 90°C, the ZnO nanosheets composed with nanorods were prepared.