Gazing at the flowing water, have you ever wondered about the story of the Xiang River? This river is the chief artery of the Lake Dongting drainage system. It is the largest river in Hunan Province. The Xiang River is the second-largest tributary of the Yangtze in surface runoff. It is also the fifth-largest tributary by drainage area.
Traditionally, the west branch was the main stream. It rises in the Haiyang Mountains between Xing’an and Lingchuan counties of Guangxi. However, in 2011, the east branch, the Xiao River, was identified as the main stem. Ping Island of Yongzhou marks the meeting point of these two streams. One originates from Guangxi. The other is the Xiao River, from Lanshan County of Hunan.
With its tributaries, the Xiang’s basin covers 94,721 square kilometers. Hunan holds 85,383 square kilometers of this area. If we consider the Guangxi source, the Xiang stretches 844 kilometers. With the Xiao River as the main source, it extends 948 kilometers.
The upper Xiang River splits into the west and east branches. The west branch was traditionally known as the main stream. It originates in the Haiyang Mountains in Guilin of Guangxi. There was debate in Hunan about this tradition. The 2011 national Water Census of China favored the east branch. It is longer and contributes more water. The east branch retains the name Xiao River. It rises in Yegou Mountain of Xiangjiangyuan Township in Lanshan County. These two branches merge at Ping Island. Here they form the main stem of the Xiang.
From its headwaters in Xing’an County, Guangxi, the west branch flows 261 kilometers to Ping Island. There, it meets the Xiao River. This forms the middle Xiang River. Legend says the Xiang and Li Rivers share an origin. The Lingqu Canal connects their upper reaches in Xing’an County. Seventy percent of Lingqu’s water flows into the Xiang. Thirty percent flows into the Li River according to tradition. The canal, along with the Xiang and Gui Rivers, once formed a vital waterway. It linked the Yangtze River with the Pearl River Delta.
In Chinese folk religion, the Xiang River is protected by goddesses. These are the “Xiang River goddesses” or “Xiang Consorts,” Ehuang and Nüying. They were daughters of the ruler Yao and wives of Shun. Unable to bear Shun’s death, they committed suicide in the river. The spots on spotted bamboo are said to be their tears. This bamboo is also known as Xiang bamboo or teardrop bamboo. People of Chu worshipped them. Qu Yuan wrote “Ladies Xiang” to document their ritual songs.
Yu Wuling, a late Tang Dynasty poet, loved the Xiang River’s scenery. The novel “The Dream of the Red Chamber” features Shi Xiangyun. Her name is partly inspired by the river. Mao Zedong’s Shian Kian Weekly Review publicized Marxism in Changsha starting in 1919.
Until the railway’s completion in the 1930s, the Xiang was the province’s main communication route. Large vessels from the Yangtze could reach Changsha. Smaller steamboats could reach Xiangtan. Junks could even travel to Hengyang. The waterway provided a key route between central China and Guangdong and Guangxi. Today, though largely replaced by the railway, it remains usable. The Xiang River continues to flow. It connects history, culture, and the natural world.