Xiangshui is under the jurisdiction of Yancheng City, Jiangsu Province. In April 1942, Chaonan County was established and later renamed Binhai County. In March 1966, with the approval of the State Council, Zhongshan and Hebei areas of Binhai County were designated as Xiangshui County. Because the county government is located in Xiangshui Town, and because the riverside is close to the Guanhe River, the riverbed is deep and wide, the water level difference is large when the tide rises and falls, and the tributaries flow into the water with a loud noise, so it is named Xiangshui. As of 0:00 on November 1, 2020, the county has a permanent population of 459156 (the seventh population census).

Xiangshui County is located in the northernmost part of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, along the northeast coast of Jiangsu Province, at the junction of Lianyungang, Huai'an and Yancheng, bordering the Yellow Sea in the east, and facing the Korean Peninsula and Kyushu Island across the sea; It lies on the Guanhe River in the north and is dependent on the two towns in the northeast of Guannan; It borders Guannan and Lianshui in the west, Zhongshan River in the south, and Binhai County. The county has a maximum east-west straight length of 61 kilometers, a north-south width of 21 kilometers, and a total area of 1461 square kilometers. It has 8 towns and 3 industrial parks under its jurisdiction.

Xiangshui has a long history and profound cultural heritage. During the reign of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, a large number of immigrants came to live by boiling salt and fishing. The "Ancient Cloud Ladder Pass" located in Huangwei Town is the entrance of the ancient Huaihe River to the sea, and is a key cultural relic protection unit in the province. Xiangshui culture belongs to Jianghuai culture, and Xiangshui people belong to Huaiyang people, who use Jianghuai Mandarin. On April 12, 2018, China Tianhan Research Association awarded Xiangshui County the title of "Hometown of Chinese Drama Art".

Xiangshui County is a national open county, a national-level ecological demonstration area, a national advanced county for grain and cotton production, a national advanced county for plain greening, a township of shallow-water lotus root in China, a township of eucommia in China, a pilot county for comprehensive reform in Jiangsu Province, one of the top 100 small and medium-sized cities with the most investment potential in China, and a county with a basically balanced development of national compulsory education.

In October 2018, it was selected as one of the top 100 counties and cities with investment potential in 2018. In March 2019, it was listed as the first batch of revolutionary cultural relics protection and utilization areas and counties.

In 2020, Xiangshui County's GDP will reach 40.574 billion yuan, an increase of 6.1% over the previous year at comparable prices.