Precipitation runoff is a critical hillslope hydrological process for downslope streamflow and piedmont/floodplain recharge. Shimen hillslope micro-catchment is strategically located in the central foothill region of Taihang Mountains, where runoff is crucial for water availability in the piedmont corridors and floodplains of north China. This study analyzes precipitation-runoff processes in the Shimen hillslope micro-catchment for 2006–2008 using locally designed runoff collection systems. The study shows that slope length is a critical factor, next only to precipitation, in terms of runoff yield. Regression analysis also shows that runoff is related positively to precipitation, and negatively to slope length. Soil mantle in the study area is generally thin and is therefore not as critical a runoff factor as slope length. The study shows a significant difference between overland and subsurface runoff. However, that between the 0–10 and 10–20 cm subsurfaces is insignificant. Runoff hardly occurs under light rains (<10 mm), but is clearly noticeable under moderate-to-rainstorm events. In the hillslope catchment, vertical infiltration (accounting for 42–84% of the precipitation) dominates runoff processes in subsurface soils and weathered granite gneiss bedrock. A weak lateral flow (at even the soil/bedrock interface) and the generally small runoff suggest strong infiltration loss via deep percolation. This is critical for groundwater recharge in the downslope piedmont corridors and floodplains. This may enhance water availability, ease water shortage, avert further environmental degradation, and reduce the risk of drought/flood in the event of extreme weather conditions in the catchment and the wider north China Plain. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.