[1] The district is an important Hakka settlement and is the ancestral home of many Hakka descendants living in Taiwan and other countries worldwide.

Meixian almost completely surrounds Meizhou's central urban Meijiang District.

This is due to the old urban core of Meixian becoming separated from the bulk of the county in the territorial reorganization following the 1949 establishment of the People's Republic of China, when it was given equal status.

Meixian is noted for its large Hakka population.

Meixian has administrative jurisdiction over one subdistrict and 18 towns.