Even a small amount of water can have a disproportionately large effect on physical and chemical properties of minerals or rocks, and hence knowledge of its speciation, concentration and distribution is crucial for understanding the composition, structure, physical and chemical characteristics and geodynamics of the lithospheric mantle. Peridotite xenoliths hosted by alkali magma are representative samples from the lithospheric mantle, and their water content may provide information about the distribution of water in the lithospheric mantle. Peridotite xenoliths are hosted by both Mesozoic and Cenozoic basalts in eastern China. Although some research work has been done for peridotite xenoliths hosted by Cenozoic basalts, investigations on peridotites hosted by Mesozoic basalts remain insufficient. This paper presents major and trace element concentrations of minerals from peridotite xenoliths hosted by Early Jurassic basalts in Ningyuan, Hunan Province, which were obtained by EMP and LA-ICPMS respectively. Covariations between major and trace elements suggest that the peridotite xenoliths are relicts of primary mantle after low-degree partial melting. Elevated content of highly incompatible elements (Th, U, La, Ce etc.) in some clinopyroxenes demonstrates that the Ningyuan lithospheric mantle has undergone mantle metasomatism. Based on low La/Yb and high Ti/Eu ratios of clinopyroxenes, the authors hold that the metasomatic agent was silicate melt rather than carbonatite melt. Micro-FTIR analysis demonstrates that both clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene display prominent absorption bands in 3000～3700 cm-1 region, which resulted from hydroxyl defect in their structure. The calculated water content (H2O wt.) of clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene ranges from 147×10-6 to 461×10-6 and 40×10-6 to 126×10-6 respec-tively. Based on the water content and mineral model, it is estimated that the whole-rock water content of the Ninyuan peridotites should vary in the range of 34×10-6～108 ×10-6. In combination with the previously reported data, it is held that the water content of the Mesozoic lithospheric mantle of Ningyuan is much higher than that of the Cenozoic lithospheric mantle of the North China Craton (mostly <30 ×10-6). The low water content of the Cenozoic lithospheric mantle in the North China Craton is attributed to the heating action by an upwelling asthenosphere flow in consistent with NCC lithospheric thinning during the Late Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic period. Therefore, the difference between the Ningyuan Mesozoic lithospheric mantle and the Cenozoic NCC lithospheric mantle probably reflects the temporal evolution of water content in the lithospheric mantle of eastern China.