Objective To understand the soil heavy metal pollution along Diaojiang river and to search the way of using the polluted land in safety. Methods Twelve sampling sites were selected along the river sides, the soil, rice and corn samples were collected and the content of heavy metals was determined. Results The investigation revealed that the main pollutants in the soils were As, Pb, Cd, Zn, etc., the polluted area was coincided with the flooded area and the content of Cd, Pb in the rice and Pb, Cd and Zn in the corn planted in the polluted area was over the limits of national food hygiene standards. Conclusion This paper suggests food crops should be forbidden and mulberry be planted in the polluted area. The severely polluted area where the deposits of mine tailings are obvious should be changed to tailing ponds and the plant restoration and reconstruction should be conducted in these areas.