The cult of Xiang Yu in the Wuxing area during the Southern Dynasties illustrates that Xiang Yu was both a local deity and a god of war. Its circumstances and development resemble that of the Jiang Ziwen in the Jiankang area. However, the strong ＂local＂ nature of Xiang Yu's cult strikes a stark contrast with the ＂state＂ character of Jiang Ziwen's cult. Hagiography of Xiang Yu in the Eastern Jin and Song dynasties mainly recounts certain magistrates' encounters with evil spirits or their untimely deaths. Legends of intermittent local magistrates' deaths suggest a reminiscence of the military violence which resulted from the uprisings and subsequent brutal suppressions. The hagiography of this period highlights the conflicts between intruders and the deity of Xiang Yu. After Qi and Liang dynasties, the arena between Wuxing and Jiankang shifted from military to religion. The deity Xiang Yu metamorphosed from an evil-causing spirit to one who received vegetarian offerings. Meanwhile, numerous constructions of Buddhist temples in the Wuxing area indicates that contention between local cults, the state, and Buddhism had reached a compromise. Regarding the production of hagiography, certain plots of Xiang Yu's legend are highly repetitive. The natives of Wuxing intimidated nonnative magistrates with the legend, while the state revised the plot to rein in local power. Different stance determines different impact on the development of the hagiography.