【Objective】This study is to explore how soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus were distributed vertically along the slope of the Taibai Mountain and elaborate eco-stoichiometric characteristics of these soil nutrient elements relative to elevation from 1 700 m to 3 500 m.【Method】Soil samples were collected along the slope at an interval of 100 m in elevation and soil physicochemical properties were mensurated for analysis. 【Result】Results show as follows. (1) Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) in the soil varied in the range of 23.56~83.59 g kg^-1, 2.00~5.77 g kg^-1 and 0.32~0.47 g kg^-1, respectively, and averaged 40.58 g kg^-1, 3.11 g kg^-1 and 0.39 g kg^-1, respectively. Soil organic carbon and TN displayed a trend of rising-first-and-declining-later with the rising elevation and a peak appeared at 3 000 m. The content of SOC was obviously higher in the middle section of the slope, 2 200~2 300 m in elevation than in the upper and lower sections of the slope and TN varied similarly in vertical distribution. So soil carbon and nitrogen content were quite consistent in spatial variation. However, TP varied much less spatially and along the altitude gradient. Along the slope of the Taibai Mountain, stand different types of forests in belt. In these different forest belts, regardless of type, the distributions of soil carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus were somewhat coupled. Soil C:N, C:P and N:P varied in the range of 7.17 ~ 18.41, 60.61 ~ 190.4 and 5.81 ~ 12.26, respectively, and averaged 12.99, 102.2 and 7.90. With rising elevation, soil C:N decreased in the broad-leaved forest belt and increased in the coniferous forest; soil C:N was quite close to the average (12.4) of the global forest soil (0~10 cm); soil C:P varied in a trend similar to what soil C:N did, and peaked in the section of the slope, 2 200~2 300 m in elevation, getting higher than the average (81.9) of the global forest soil (0~10 cm); and soil N:P was similar to soil C:N in variation. (2) SOC, TN and TP varied in the range of 23.84~49.54 g kg^-1, 2.42~3.62 g kg^-1 and 0.36~0.42 g kg^-1, and averaged 39.82 g kg^-1, 2.97 g kg^-1 and 0.39 g kg^-1, respectively, in the studied slope under whatever type of forest. SOC was obviously lower in the fir forest belt than in the broad-leaved forest ( Quercus acutidentata forest, liaodong oak forest, birch forest) belt; soil TN in the coniferous forest belt was significantly lower than that in the Quercus liaotungensis forest and alpine meadow belts, and similar to those in the others; and soil TP differed slightly between forest belts. Soil C:N, C:P and N:P varied in the range of 9.80 ~ 15.49, 67.01 ~ 119.44 and 6.32 ~ 9.21, and averaged 13.36, 100.81 and 7.54, respectively. The two broad-leaved forests ( Quercus liaotungensis forest belt and birch forest belt) and the alpine meadow belt were the highest in content of soil carbon and nitrogen and their ecological stoichiometric ratio, while the fir forest belt was the lowest. (3) Temperature, water content, elevation and vegetation may quite well explain the variation of the ecological stoichiometry of soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Redundancy analysis shows that the points of Ⅰ and Ⅰ on the sequencing axis may explain 57.94% and 9.21% of the variation of the contents of soil nutrients and their stoichiometric characteristics, and the four factors, temperature, water content, elevation and vegetation, may explain 25.7%, 22.5%, 20.9% and 18.7%, respectively, of the system variation. Obviously, elevation is the major factor that directly determines vegetation type and environmental conditions, which in turn affect distribution and eco-stoichiometry of soil nutrients. 【Conclusion】All the findings in this study may serve as scientific basis for determining soil nutrient supply and its limiting factors in these forest soils and evaluating quality of these soils. However, more effects should be made to further discuss the issue of soil nutrients and their eco-stoichiometric characteristics, and to expose stoichiometric characteristics, mutual relationships and spatial variation of the forest system of vegetation-litter-soil.