Xiangfan, city, northern Hubei sheng (province), central China. It lies in the middle basin of the Han River and is situated just west of the junction of the Han with its northern tributary, the Tangbai River. It is the head of navigation for steamers and is a transshipment point for the junk traffic from the upper Han River and its tributaries. It has good highway communications, being at the crossing place of the major route from Henan province (which runs via Nanyang to Shashi and across the Yangtze River [Chang Jiang] into the southwest) with the southeast-to-northwest route via the Han River valley from Wuhan to Lanzhou in Gansu province. The area from very early times was a vitally important strategic and commercial centre. The modern municipality was formed in 1950 by combining the two cities of Fancheng (a commercial hub and river port) on the north bank of the Han River and Xiangyang (an administrative, political, and cultural centre) on the south bank.
Xiangyang is much the older of these two cities. A county of that name was established by the Han dynasty (206 bce–220 ce) in the 2nd century bc and continued in existence on the same site until the present. It became the site of a commandery in 221 ce and was a key strategic stronghold in the wars of the ensuing period between the rival regimes in North and South China. In the late 12th century it became a superior prefecture, and it retained this status until 1912. During the 13th century Xiangyang was the most important fortress on the frontier between the territory occupied first by the Jin (Juchen) and then by the Yuan (Mongol) dynasties in northern China and the Nan (Southern) Song dynasty—as the rulers of the Song period (960–1279) are commonly called from 1127—south of the Yangtze River. Its capture, following a prolonged siege during which the Mongol forces used cannon and explosives, was a turning point in the Mongol conquest of the central Yangtze basin and, eventually, of all southern China. Xiangyang, although it continued to be an important garrison city and administrative centre, was not a good river port; and Fancheng, on the opposite bank, grew rapidly in importance during the 19th and 20th centuries, as did Laohekou, farther upstream, which was the head of navigation for junk traffic.
The creation of the municipality of Xiangfan in 1950 established its economic importance as the major collecting and commercial centre for the surrounding region, which is rich and densely populated. The city’s importance has been increased further by the construction of rail links that join it to Wuhan. A line by way of Laohekou extending up the Han River valley northwest to Ankang (in Shaanxi province) and then southwest to Chongqing municipality was completed in 1978. A north-south rail line from Luoyang in Henan to Zhicheng in Hubei on the Yangtze River and to nearby Yichang has also been constructed. The city is also a regional highway hub, and there is air service to major Chinese cities from the airport located northwest of the city.
Xiangfan is now an industrial city; its main manufactures are electronics and textiles, and automobile assembly is also becoming important. Despite its industrialization, the city, with a history spanning more than two millennia, is full of scenic locations and historical sites and is a popular tourist destination. Notable are the well-preserved ancient Xiangyang city wall and moat on the southern bank of the Han River. Pop. (2002 est.) city, 835,170; (2007 est.) urban agglom., 1,069,000.