Abstract: Dali, located in the Yunnan-Guizhou plateau, is a typical inland faulted basin. The mountain streams flow to the plain in
18 creeks, then into the Erhai lake. In the meantime, there are rivers such as Miju River, Luoshi River and Yong'an River from Eryuan
county and Boluo River from Fengyi flowing into the Erhai lake, which has made Dali a waterland since ancient times. Abundant water
resources has bred numerous water creatures, and in different historical backgrounds, people have created various images of Water
Gods in the areas of the Erhai lake basin, with different legends and religious functions. On the basis of field research, and combining
relevant literature and folk data, the present paper divides Water Gods into three categories, i.e. Dragon God in a broad sense of dragon
worship, Water God in a narrow sense and the God of Erhai, and tries to figure out their corresponding positions in the entire belief
system of Water Gods in the Erhai areas.

Key words: Erhai areas in Dali, Dragon Gods, Water Gods in narrow sense; , the God of Erhai Lake