Leiyang City is located in the southeastern part of Hunan Province, with a total area of 2,648.6 square kilometers and a total population of 1.369 million, including a permanent population of 1.1058 million. It administers 24 townships, 6 subdistrict offices, and 378 administrative villages (communities). Leiyang is one of the three medium-sized county-level cities in the province and ranks first among them in both urban area and population.

Leiyang is a grand garden of culture with a history spanning over 2,200 years. Its name has remained unchanged throughout its long history. It enjoys the reputation of being a famed cultural region in Jingchu and an ancient city in the land of Sanxiang. Known as the “Land of One Emperor and Three Sages,” Leiyang is where Emperor Yan (Shennong) created the plow (“lei”), the birthplace of Cai Lun, the Sage of Paper; the resting place of Du Fu, the Sage of Poetry; and a destination on the journey of Xu Xiake, the Sage of Travel. Historical stories such as Pang Tong governing Leiyang, Zhang Liang living in seclusion in Leiyang, Zhang Fei patrolling Leiyang, and Han Yu composing poetry about Leiyang further enrich its deep cultural heritage.

Leiyang is also a cradle of revolution and holds a unique place in the history of the Communist Party of China with “Five Firsts”:

1. The first CPC member to attend an international conference was He Shu from Leiyang;

2. The CPC’s first county-level committee in Hunan Province was the “Leiyang County Committee of the Communist Party of China”;

3. The lyrics of the Party’s first military song, Song of the National Revolution, were written by Leiyang native Kuang Yong;

4. The first currency issued in a Soviet area was printed in Leiyang;

5. The Party’s first arsenal was established in Leiyang.

Leiyang was also the main battlefield of the Southern Hunan Uprising. Zhu De commanded the uprising from Leiyang for over 50 days, and Lin Biao rose to fame after the ambush battle at Aoshan Temple. During the War of Resistance Against Japan, Leiyang served as the temporary seat of the provincial government for five years.

Leiyang is a major transportation hub strategically located within the “one point, one line” development zone. Major transport arteries such as the Beijing–Guangzhou Railway, the Wuhan–Guangzhou High-speed Railway, the Beijing–Zhuhai Expressway, National Highway 107, and Provincial Highway 320 crisscross the city. The Leishui River and the Chongling River are navigable year-round, linking directly to the Xiang River. It takes only 100 minutes to reach Guangzhou to the south and just 8 hours to reach the capital to the north. The city is only 40 kilometers from Nanyue Airport.

Leiyang is an open platform for development. Bordering Guangdong and close to Hong Kong and Macau, it is at the forefront of the inland region’s efforts to receive industrial transfers from coastal areas. It is one of 13 county-level cities in Hunan under direct provincial administration. The Leiyang Economic Development Zone is a provincial-level development zone, honored as both a model zone for industrial transfer and a comprehensive high-tech industrial base in Hunan. The city’s circular economy industrial park is one of only three such provincial-level parks in Hunan.

Leiyang is a rich treasury of resources, known as the “Hometown of Camellia Oil,” “Hometown of Nan Bamboo,” “Hometown of Energy,” and “Hometown of White Marble.” A total of 45 mineral resources have been identified, including coal reserves of 560 million tons, making it one of China’s top 100 coal-producing counties or cities. With a total installed power generation capacity of 1.4 million kilowatts, it is the largest county-level energy base in the province.

Leiyang is also a vast eco-tourism garden. The city’s “Ten Scenic Wonders”—such as the Misty Rains over Duling, Sunny Glows over Mafeng, Twilight Veil over Luqi, Spring Swell of Huazhou, Twin Moons over Caichi, and Sunset Glow over the Leishui River—are poetic and picturesque. The 160,000-mu National 4A-level scenic area Cai Lun Bamboo Sea is the largest contiguous bamboo forest in Asia and the only bamboo-themed scenic area in southern Hunan. The Leishui National Wetland Park is home to over 200 bird species and more than 100,000 individual birds, earning it the nickname “Paradise for Birds.”