Yuánjiāng

Yuánjiāng stands among the waterways of southern Dòngtíng Lake, where routes from the rivers of Hunan meet the lake. The county first took its name from the Yuán River under the Sui, and under the Yuan it belonged to Lóngyáng Zhou. The Ming and Qing placed it under Chángdé Prefecture. Its position made the town a meeting place for boats and merchants travelling between the lake and the river valleys leading west towards the southwestern highlands.