Wangshi is a market town in the northern Earth Kingdom province of Shanbei, just inside the border with the neighboring West Shuizu State. It was established by royal edict during the Tu Dynasty to promote trade in the region, and to appease the regionally-powerful mercantile interests of the Ganjinese. The town has walls and a marina on the Bear River, connecting the Ba Sing Se highway to a thriving riparian trade. Lately, the town has fallen under the control of three powerful local families, who have blocked the appointment of a royal official and instead control public affairs themselves with the help of mercenaries. They are widely tolerated because they have, so far, successfully prevented warlords from "drafting" the military-age population of the village, though the "taxes" the Three Families collect to reimburse their warlord-bribing expenses have become fairly onerous.
There are three developed hot springs, each associated with a spirit, though there are no reputable claims of sightings of such spirits.
Besides service industries for travelers, Wangshi has a moderately developed secondary industry in metalwork and stonecrafting. Ethnically, the town is about two-thirds Zhongzu, with some Yonggan and Beituzhu, Shuizu sailors, and a large ethnic enclave of Ganjinese in the old town center.