Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Administrative prefecture in western Hunan, China
Xiangxi is an autonomous prefecture in the mountains of Hunan made up of eight administrative areas, including Jishou city and seven counties spread across rough mountain terrain. The land is shaped by two major mountain ranges that create a jagged, uneven landscape with many valleys and rivers cutting through it.
The area became an autonomous prefecture in 1957 after authorities formally recognized the Tujia people as a distinct ethnic group. This recognition followed major administrative reforms that swept across the country after the founding of the People's Republic in the 1950s.
The Tujia and Miao peoples have shaped daily life here through their festivals, crafts, and traditional foods that fill the markets and streets. Visitors notice colorful traditional clothing during celebrations and handwoven textiles displayed throughout the region.
Jishou serves as the central hub where government offices, shops, and transportation connections to all other areas are concentrated. Travelers should know that the mountainous terrain makes trips between communities take longer, and local transit runs regularly but not frequently.
The mountain slopes here produce rare medicinal herbs prized in traditional medicine for their special properties, found nowhere else in this quality. Many plants thrive only in the specific elevations and soil conditions created between the region's two river systems.
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