A series of visible-light photocatalysts, CdZnS[CZS-r, r=n(NaOH)/2n(Cd2++Zn2+)] solid solution, was fabricated by alkaline-assisted hydrothermal method. The crystal structure, microstructure and band gap energy(Eg) of the as-synthesized crystals were characterized by multiple techniques including powder X-ray diffraction(XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) surface area analysis and solid-state UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra(UV-Vis DRS). The results showed that alkaline-assisted method can significantly lower the size of the crystals, improve the dispersibility of the particles, enlarge the specific surface area of the semiconductors and introduce the stacking faults. Additionally, the photocatalytic properties of the CzS-r samples were evaluated by hydrogen generation under the irradiation of visible light(λ≥420 nm). It has been found that CZS-0.5 possessed the 5 h average hydrogen production rate of 2154 μmol/(h·g), 29.92 times that of CZS-0[72 μmol/(h·g)], which is mainly ascribed to the unique potential provided by the stacking faults.