Orchards occupy large planting areas in China, which were mainly concentrated in hilly and mountainous regions. Due to the impact from topographical conditions and planting patterns, the mechanization in hilly orchards generally presented a low standard. With the adjustment of industrial structure, the mechanization level of orchard work would be directly related to economic benefits. The distribution and planting characteristics of the orchards in China were firstly analyzed. Current level of the mechanization in hilly orchards was introduced and the developing restrictions were analyzed. Then, the research status of the main orchard machinery, such as power chassis, operating platform, fruit tree pruning machinery, plant-protection machinery and picking-and-harvesting machinery, was demonstrated. Moreover, the production, application and promotion of some orchard machinery were investigated and analyzed. Based on the survey, the issues of the mechanization in hilly orchards were summarized, indicating that lack of adaptability to complex environment was the key to restrict the process of the mechanization in hilly orchards. Furthermore, the suggestions for both orchard reconstruction and the development of mechanical equipment were proposed.