Abstract: Water is the basic natural resource as well as a strategic economic resource，it is the constituent and decisive factor of the ecological environment，the continuing exploitation and utilization is the key to support a healthy ecosystem and regional continued advance，and the core of these is the scientific management of water resource. The shortage of water resource caused by the unreasonable exploitation and utilization became the main problem which handicaps the economic development of the inland river drainage basin and the protection of ecological environment. Researching and consummating the managing system and its relevant policies is the main mission and orientation of the scientific research of the water resource management. The Heihe River Basin is the second largest inland river basin in the northwest arid area，a especially typical desert oasis area，water resource is very important to the development of the region. The existed research about the item primarily focused on snow and ice survey and its melting runoff，characteristics on the changes of flows from the mountainous watershed and their response to climate change，the simulation and prediction of stream in the upper reaches；status of water resources utilization and countermeasures in the middle and lower reaches；isotopes，water resources carrying capacity，theoretical methods and measures for water resources management. This paper attempts to systematically demonstrate the change of the water resource management organizations and its policies of Heihe River Basin in historical periods by investigating a large number of historical documents and the Historical Atlas. It indicates the three problems which exist in this aspect：（1）the lack and faultiness of water resource laws and rules；（2）lacking foresight in constituting the management rules；（3）to be short of relevant rules in protection of environment. This article also analyzed the changing reasons of water resource management by the increasing of population quantity，the strengthening of land development，the sharp conflicts of water dissension total three ways. In 2 A.D. the population of Heihe River Basin was 88 700 people，the cultivated area was 4.03×10⁴ hm²，the land development intensity was 0.28%，water resources utilization rate was 10.1%. In Qing Dynasty，the population of Heihe River Basin was 529 100 people（in 1820），the cultivated area was 11.12×10⁴ hm²，the land development intensity was 0.78%，water resources utilization rate was 28.2%. In 1950，the cultivated area was 22.11×10⁴ hm²，the land development intensity was 1.55%，water resources utilization rate was 55.5%. Based on the above situation，  the conclusion was drawn about developing the water culture and innovating the water sharing system in whole river basin，brought forward the following goals：（1） from water monopolization by middle reaches to water sharing with the lower reaches. （2）from economical water sharing to economy- ecology water sharing. （3） changing the emphasis of water resource development from hydraulic engineering constructions to the water resource continuing exploitation and utilization. （4） From pursuing the economy development only to giving attention to the harmony of people and nature also. And building the scientific management system of water resource development by strengthening the management of  watershed scale and improving the management tools of water rights trading market.

Key words: the Heihe River Basin, water resources, exploitation and utilization, management system, historical changes, realistic inspections