The study focused on the chemical element compositions of river water and groundwater in Lijiang Basin. Water samples were collected in Baishui, Sanshu, Geji and Shuhe rivers in Lijiang Basin to analyze pH, conductivity and ion concentration, in order to understand the contributions of anthropogenic activities and rock weathering to river solutes. The results show that all water samples are mildly alkaline and are rich in Ca2+ and HCO3-, which account for 54.8 and 92.4 percentage of total ion concentration respectively. Obvious variations have been perceived during monsoon and westward wind season. The ion concentration of river water is lower than that of groundwater. With decreasing elevation, the ion concentrations are found to increase considerably in the study region. According to source study of major ions, water chemistry is mainly influenced by precipitation rock weathering and dissolving processes. In addition, precipitation is an important factor in monsoon seasons whereas the anthropogenic inputs have lead to light pollution on water in residential district.