The history of Xiangxi can be traced back to the Warring States Period (476BC-221BC), when it was dominated by the Chu State. In the following thousands of years, its administrative system has changed many times. It wasn't until 1952 that Xiangxi Miao Autonomous Region was established and changed to Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture five years later. The prefecture lies in the convergent area on the northeast fringe of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and Mountainous Region in western Hubei. Its terrain slopes downward from the northwest to the southeast. The Wuling Mountains zigzag through Xiangxi. There are well developed karst landforms distributed in the southwest and rivers crisscrossing among the hills in the western and eastern regions of the prefecture. Xiangxi bears a subtropical humid monsoon climate with an annual average temperature of 15.8-16.9C (60.4-62.4F). Spring and autumn are the best periods to travel in Xiangxi.