Xiang (place)

Xiang, in the context of Chinese place names, refers most commonly to a county (县, xiàn). It is an administrative division, generally smaller than a prefecture (市, shì) or a prefecture-level city (地级市, dìjíshì) and larger than a township (乡, xiāng) or a town (镇, zhèn).

The xiang system of administration in China has ancient roots and has evolved significantly over time. The modern county system is a key element in China's hierarchical administrative structure, responsible for governing a specific geographical area and managing local affairs, including agriculture, industry, education, and public security. Counties are typically governed by a county government (县政府, xiàn zhèngfǔ).

While xiang most frequently denotes "county," it can sometimes refer to "rural township" (乡, xiāng), particularly in historical contexts or when distinguishing between a county and a more basic rural administrative unit. It is important to ascertain the correct meaning of xiang based on the specific context in which it is used. The character 乡 (xiāng), while sharing a similar pronunciation, is written differently and generally means "village" or "rural area."

The term xiang (县) can also be found as a component in compound place names, such as the name of a specific county (e.g., 湘潭县, Xiāngtán Xiàn, Xiangtan County).