The construction of the Three Gorge Dam on the Yangzte River will put more pressure on the slopelands in the surrounding area. Sustainability of these lands depends on the successful control of soil and water erosion.A site experiment of the contour hedgerow technology in harnessing erosion and enhancing soil fertility has being carried out in the area since 1993.The initial results of the experiment show that the technology can decrease and slow down surface runoff greatly, reduce soil erosion enormously, and provide a large amount of green manure.Among the 12 species selected for the experiment, Leucaena leucacephala, Coriaria sinica, Vitex negundo, Hemerocallis citrina, Vetiveria zizanioides are well adaptable to the local environment and can be used as hedgerow plants.The first three species can be used as green manure plants.The everage biomass cut from the hedgerows of these plants each year amount to 24 000 kg/ha, 8 400 kg/ha and 31 500 kg/ha respectively.A simulated rainfall test shows that vitex hedgerow can decrease runoff by 70% and sediment over 99%.