Along with the rapid development of computer and GIS technology, hydrological models have progressed from lumped to distributed models. TOPMODEL, a bridge between lumped and distributed models, is a semi-distributed model in which the predominant factors determining the formation of runoff are derived from the topography of the basin. A test application of TOPMODEL in the Buliu River Basin is presented. For the sake of comprehensively evaluating the TOPMODEL, the Xin’anjiang model, a classic lumped hydrological model, was also applied in the basin. The structural differences and the simulation results of the two models are compared and analyzed.