Xingsu Prefecture

**Xingsu Prefecture** (行速抠; *xíngsù kōu*) is the largest prefecture in Kanton, and one of the most populous areas in the country, with a population of 17.5 million. It has formerly been known as 敢吐 (*gǎn-tǔ*) and 皇抠 (*huáng-kou*). The largest city in Xingsu is Hongkai, with a population of 10 million.

## Etymology

In its first recorded mention, Xingsu is called Gantu, literally meaning "green land". However, it seems as though this name was abandoned at the beginning of the 16th century, when prefectures were given their more precise descriptive titles, and the suffix *-kou* was added.

Before the changes brought about by the Nen Period, the region of Xingsu was known as Jintu ("land of the Jin clan"), after the Jin family who had conquered the area and lived there for almost three hundred years. However, after the Battle of Xingsu in 678 AD, this name was changed due to the splitting of the region into ten separate territories; it became Gantu. In the 12th century, the powerful Xing clan attempted to take control of the region by a combination of political and military ploys; in less than three years they had wrested the entire prefecture from the ten clans who had once held power there. It was renamed Xingsu ("home of the Xing clan") and went through a number of cultural changes, notably a surge of religious practice.

For the entirety of the Jing Period (1669-1704), Xingsu served as the home of Emperor Jinzang; during this period, its name was changed to Huang-kou (皇抠; "prefecture of the Emperor") as was customary at the time. After the death of Emperor Jinzang in 1704, the prefecture released this title and reverted to Xingsu-kou, which has been in use ever since.

## History

A hunter-gatherer lifestyle was already well-established in Xingsu over 13,000 years ago. The naturalistic beliefs of the early Kanton was hugely impactful on the region, with hundreds of ancient temples and evidence of rituals still being discovered today.

For almost the entirety of the Nen Period (400 AD-900 AD), Xingsu was split into ten districts, each belonging to a separate clan or family which governed the region. The largest of these regions was owned by the Xing clan, who were one of the most powerful families of the period. Other large governments in Xingsu were the Du clan, the Jin clan and the Bei clan, though none reached the same amount of influence and power as the Xing during this time.

During the Mian Period (1000s-1300s), Xingsu underwent a religious renaissance, during which the Xing clan organised the construction of hundreds of shrines across the prefecture (many of which are still in use today). In the late 11th century, the Xingsu Shrine Tour was organised for the religious upperclass to enjoy. According to sources of the time, the walk was designed as a three-month-long pilgrimage that would circuit around the entire prefecture. Additionally, evidence of ruined temples across the western coast have been discovered, presumbly built on commission in the 1000s.

At the end of the 1300s, there was considerable trade between Xingsu and other parts of Kanton, even very distant prefectures. Many tactical alliances existed between the Xing and other clans. However, by the 1450s and the crowning of Emperor Luanshan, these alliances were dissolved, and boundaries became static.

### 21st century

In late 2018, a typhoon hit the inland areas of the prefecture, destroyed over 40,000 buildings and leaving over 50,000 people injured. The typhoon, which was later nicknamed 徐年潶杨 (*xúnián hēiyáng*, "city typhoon"), had a very destructive impact on most of Xingsu's major cities, including Kanchan, Guiyan and Hongkai.

## Municipalities

### Districts

 Xingkuang-dan | 行框單
 Xingkuai-dan | 行块單
 Xingceng-dan | 行曾單
 Xingbang-dan | 行绑單