Xiang'an (翔安) is a district of Xiamen Municipality on its easternmost mainland territory. It belongs to Fujian Province, the People's Republic of China.

History

Xiang'an District was created out of five towns (鎮) of Tong'an District in May 2003:

• Xindian (新店)
• Xinyu (新圩)
• Maxiang (馬巷)
• Neicuo (內厝)
• Dadeng (大嶝)

History of Maxiang

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Maxiang is located on the eastern side of Xiamen. Chinese town experts say that Maxiang was formerly either known as Ma Jiaxiang or Ma Cuxiang. An older name is known as Fangshan (literally translated as Ark Mountain) whose origin is unknown.

Maxiang was started by the Tong An County of the Qing Dynasty in 1775 in the Min An, Xiang Feng and Mo Feng neighbourhoods. It was formerly an important political, economy, cultural and transportation centre of Tong An Dongban County. In 1987, Maxiang became one of the 13 important satelite towns of Xiamen and it is now the centre of the newly established Xiang An Industrial Zone (a merger of Min An and Xiang Feng neighbourhoods).

Famous tourist attractions of Maxiang: Maxiang Cheng Huang Temple was built in 1775 under the decree edict of a Kinmen judge by the name of Hu Bang Han. Today, it is an imporrtant monument of Xiamen under conservation. Yuan Wei Temple, devoted to the worship of Chi Huang Ye, a Nanjing matyr of an ancient Zhangzhou epidemic, attracts hordes of religious tourists and pilgrims from Taiwan, Southeast Asia and other parts of southern China.

Traces of some Maxiang's famous persons: Lin Fang De's home is where the famous delicious yam puffs of Maxiang originate. It is located at Liu Lu Xiang (Sixth Road Avenue) of Maxiang. Shan Hou Ting was built as a village by the descendants of Fu Chen Yi, the prince of Emperor Tang Xuan Zong who came to settle in Xiamen. TShan Hou Ting is the site of Communist struggles between 1927 and 1935. The Tomb of famous Xiamen press media entrepreneur Huang Ting Yuan on the western side of Xilu village, Maxiang, relates the story of Xiamen business expansions and Xiamen's political struggles against the British in 1919.

Sources: Fan Shi Gao, "Maxiang de Gushi", Xiamen Airlines Inflight Magazine, No. 6, 2004, pages 35-37, Xiamen, summarised and translated by Gan Yung Chyan, http://kucinta.s5.com, Singapore.