Low availability of soil moisture is considered a major limiting factor for plant growth and crop yield worldwide, and it turns to be a more serious problem under the context of global change. A weak light stress, resulting from significantly lower light intensity than light saturation point of plant in long time, will affect the morphogenesis and physiological and biochemical processes of plant. The Chinese anise (Illicium lanceolatum), a traditional medicinal plant in China, has high content of shikimic acids which have effects of antiphlogosis and analgesis, and can reduce platelet aggregation and suppress vascular and cerebral thrombosis. Shikimic acid can also be an intermediate for antivirus and anticancer drugs. Scattering in its natural habitats, I.lanceolatum resources have experienced a rapid decline due to overexploitation. Therefore, it is necessary to study the protection and development strategies of I.lanceolatum resources. Soil moisture and light intensity are important restrictive impact factors for growth and biomass accumulation of I.lanceolatum seedlings. Until now, there is no reports about the mechanism of this species' response to water and light conditions. In order to explore the effect of short-term drought on the plant physiological characteristics and its adaptive capacity under low light intensity, a pot experiment was conducted with one year old I.lanceolatum seedlings for four ecotypes, respectively ecotypes from Linan Zhejiang (LA), Kaihua Zhejiang (KH), Wuning Jiangxi (WN) and Nanping Fujian (NP), treated under three low light intensity (Ⅰ:25μmol·m^-2·s^-1;Ⅱ:50 μmol·m^-2·s^-1;Ⅲ:75 μmol·m^-2·s^-1) and two water supply levels (normal water supply and watering after 2 days drought). The results showed that the sensitivity of antioxidant enzymes activity and osmotic substances contents of I.lanceolatum seedlings to low light intensity was significantly different between two water supply conditions. After 2 days' dought, catalase (CAT) activity of WN ecotype seedlings in the light treatments of Ⅱ and Ⅲ significantly increased compared with that under normal water condition, the peroxidase (POD) activity in the light treatments of Ⅲ also significantly increased, and the malondialdehyde (MDA) contents in all three light treatments increased while the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased. Under the water stress, the SOD and POD activity of LA ecotype seedlings in all light conditions were lower than those under normal water supply, and the soluble protein and MDA contents were higher. Compared with normal water supply, the SOD, POD and CAT activity of KH ecotype seedlings in the light treatment of Ⅰ increased significantly under water stress, while soluble protein and MDA content decreased. The enzymes activity of NP ecotype seedlings in all light treatments increased after short-term water stress. We concluded that the water stress can significantly promote the adaptability to weak light for KH, WN and NP ecotypes seedlings by increasing antioxidant enzymes activity and osmotic substances contents. This result will provide the theoretical foundation for ex-situ conservation, efficient cultivation, soil moisture and light condition management of I.lanceolatum.