Yōuzhōu

Youzhou stood on the north bank of the Mi River in eastern Hunan. The county seat had moved there during the Five Dynasties, and its river valley formed part of a district whose recorded name reached back to the Han. Under the Yuan, a population of ten thousand households brought the county elevation to the rank of a prefecture.

In 1369 the Ming restored Youzhou to county status and placed it under Changsha Prefecture. It retained that position under the Qing. Military farms associated with the Chaling garrison lay within the county's territory; in 1687 their tax obligations were transferred to the county, and further adjustments to their administration followed in 1733.