There are all sorts of group who make a living on the sea in the Hainan Island. During the Ming and Qing dynasties，the persons who lived on the sea expressed the fear to the ocean in the forms of sacrificing the wandering souls and malicious spirit on the sea. Later，the above forms mixed into the Obon ceremony of Pudu the ghosts without sacrifice of Buddhism and Taoism，at the same time，under the influence of the chivalry novels of Ming and Qing dynasties，they absorbed the legend of the deification of Hainan merchants in the wrecked ship which occurred in the Vietnam，which brought about the combination of the sacrifice of Mount，Water and the wandering souls and the cult of 108 Brothers and evolved into the worship of 108 Brothers which differed from the one in the land society. This worship of 108 Brothers became popular in the maritime persons in the Hainan Island and the South China Sea Islands，and lots of temple of Brothers or Wandering Souls were built. As Hainanese went overseas，the worship of 108 Brothers were spread to Southeast Asia and became the maritime belief with the international color，which took a place in the maritime belief and cultural exchange history in the southeast coastal region of China and Southeast Asia.

The main body of 108 Brothers in the Hainan Island is fisherman，partly including the maritime merchants. Its belief function emphasizes the fishery and takes into account the fish commerce. It could be positioned as a local sea god with the function of protecting the navigation and the true quality of outlaw hero. The Hainan expatriate community adores the gods of homeland mostly based on the demands for maintaining the fellow friendship，pursuing profits and making a living，seeking development and ensuring the safety. 108 Brothers plays a role of local patron saint and mostly belongs to the land god with the maritime character as the function of sea patron saint and the color of chivalrous hero fade away. Comparing to the Chinese gods having advantages of safety-in-numbers such as Guandi，Guanyin，Heavenly Queen（Ma Zu）and Shuiwei Shengniang，the worship of 108 Brothers belongs to the belief in the minority of Hainanese and mostly play a minor role in the belief of Hainan expatriate community. Its influence and spreading space is far inferior to the former.