The county extends over an area of 2,000 square kilometres (770 sq mi) and is under the administration of Huanggang City.

The very first agricultural cooperative in Hubei province was established at Xishui in 1952, as impoverished peasants pooled their land and cattle to create one large farm.

The commune also expanded fresh-water fish and lotus root cultivation, and began planting two crops of rice per year.

In 1956, the Xishui cooperative was recognized as an exemplary “national production growth model.” A major flood-control and irrigation reservoir was completed in 1961 and it began generating electricity the following year.

In 1996, the main dike wall shielding the village from the Yangtze broke in several places, endangering the entire county.