Chinese has a graded vocabulary for hometown ties:
大同乡 (dà tóngxiāng, same province) is the loosest,
同乡 (tóngxiāng) is the default 'fellow countryman', and
小同乡 (xiǎo tóngxiāng) is the tightest — same county or even same town. The closer the tie, the stronger the social obligation;
同乡 networks have historically been important for migration, business, and political alliances.
