[4] The most famous historic resident was Liu Shaoqi, who lived in Ningxiang from 1898 until 1920, before he went to Beijing as President.

Ningxiang was a site of spectacular Shang archaeological finds[5] In 2004, a Chinese team excavated ruins from the Western Zhou period (11th century-771BC) at Tanheli.

In the highlands outside the city were excavated seven small tombs for nobles and lords which contained many bronze culture implements as well as those made of jade.

The earliest archaeological remains so far unearthed are the Four-goat Square Zun and Dahe Renmianwen Square Ding from Tanheli site at Huangcai Town, dating back to the late Shang dynasty (11th–10th century BC).

[7] After conquering all the states, Emperor Qin Shi Huang implemented the system of prefectures and counties in 221 BC.

[7] In the Tang dynasty (618–907), the imperial court established a granary in today's Laoliangcang Town.

According to Wu Deng Hui Yuan (《五灯会元》), in 806, the prime minister Pei Xiu submitted a written statement to the imperial court, which was approved to found the Miyin Temple at the foot of Mount Wei.

His son, Pei Wende (裴文德), a former zhuangyuan, received ordination as a monk with the Dharma name of "Jinshan Fahai" (金山法海).

[7] In June of the 5th year of Hongwu Period (1372) of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Tanzhou was renamed as Changshafu (长沙府), and Ningxiang under its jurisdiction.

Changshafu was set up, affiliated to Hu-Guang province and possessed 12 counties, including Ningxiang.

In the late Qing dynasty, Zhu Yidian (朱衣点) joined the Taiping Army in Zhushi Bridge with his troops, he had fought many battles in Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Fujian, and was awarded the title of "Xiaotian Yiwang" (孝天义王) and "Fuchao Tianjun" (扶朝天军).

[7] On February 9, 1949, Jiang Yaxun (姜亚勋) and Li Shiqiu (李石秋) led the Huang-Tang Uprising (黄唐起义) in both towns of Huangcai and Tangshi.

[7] After the establishment of the Communist State in October 1949, Ningxiang was under the jurisdiction of Yiyang Zhuanqu (益阳专区; 'Yiyang Special Administrative Region').

Ningxiang County is in the monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate zone and exhibits four distinct seasons.

He Yinghui is the Chairmen of Ningxiang People's Congress, which is the equal of Head of Parliament.

The county's manufacturing products include paper, technological equipment, automobiles, food, clothing and other goods.

The service sector of the county's economy includes things like banking, health care, construction, communications, education, tourism and government.

Tourism comprises a large part of Ningxiang County's economy, with 20 million visitors spending ¥2 billion in 2014.

[17] As of 2012, the National Bureau of Statistics of the People's Republic of China estimates the county's population now to be 1,368,117.

[18] The Shimen–Changsha railway passes across the northeastern Ningxiang's Jinzhou Town and Chengjiao Subdistrict.

[18] The G5513 Changsha–Zhangjiajie Expressway runs west to east through Chengjiao Subdistrict and Jinzhou Town.

[18] The Provincial Highway S206 passes through the northern Ningxiang's Jinghuapu Township and Meitanba Town.