Huaihua

Huaihua is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Hunan province, China. It covers 27,564 km2 and is bordered by Xiangxi to the northwest, Zhangjiajie and Changde to the north, Yiyang, Loudi and Shaoyang to the east, Guilin and Liuzhou of Guangxi to the south, and Qiandongnan and Tongren of Guizhou to the southwest. It has a population of 4,741,948 (2010 census), accounting for 7.22% of the provincial population. According to the 2010 Census, 2,909,574 people, or 61.4% of the population, are Han Chinese. Minorities constitute 38.6% of the population, with 1,832,289 people. The Dong, Miao, Tujia, Yao and Bai are major native minority groups. Huaihua is the central region of the Dong ethnic population, home to nearly 28.35% of the Chinese Dong ethnic group.

Huaihua is very mountainous, being located between the Wuyi and Xuefeng mountain ranges. The Yuan river runs from the south to the north. The forest coverage reached 70.8% in 2015.

Administration

 * Hecheng District (鹤城区)
 * Hongjiang city (洪江市)
 * Hongjiang District (洪江管理区)
 * Yuanling County (沅陵县)
 * Chenxi County (辰溪县)
 * Xupu County (溆浦县)
 * Zhongfang County (中方县)
 * Huitong County (会同县)
 * Mayang Miao Autonomous County (麻阳苗族自治县)
 * Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County (新晃侗族自治县)
 * Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County (芷江侗族自治县)
 * Jingzhou Miao and Dong Autonomous County (靖州苗族侗族自治县)
 * Tongdao Dong Autonomous County (通道侗族自治县)

Geography and economy
Huaihua lies in the mountainous west of Hunan, south-east of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, and shares the same mountain belt. Railroads is a major means of transportation in the region, and an airport was opened in 2004.

Huaihua is home to the Second Artillery Corps Base 55, which is charged with maintaining ICBMs. The nuclear assets at Huaihua are intended for small-scale nuclear conflicts (with a limited, but nuclear, exchange), as well as the ability to strike Guam, one of only two B-2 bases.

Government
The current CPC Party Secretary of Huaihua is Peng Guofu and the current Mayor is Lei Shaoye.

Transportation
Huaihua is located at a major railway node and its economy has historically benefited from the concentration of railways meeting in the city. Five major railways, the Shanghai–Kunming railway, the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed railway, the Jiaozuo–Liuzhou railway, the Chongqing–Huaihua railway, and the Zhangjiajie–Huaihua high-speed railway intersect in the city. Through these railways Huaihua has connections to almost all major Chinese cities. Passenger trains are served by the Huaihua railway station. Huaihua South railway station meanwhile is served by high-speed trains.

A rail freight handling station, Huaihua West, was opened on 31 January 2021.

Huaihua is on the route of G65 Baotou-Maoming Expressway, which connects it with Chongqing to the northwest. It is also on the route of G60 Shanghai–Kunming Expressway, which connects it with Guiyang to the west, and Changsha to the east. Other roads that run through the city include China National Highway 209 and China National Highway 320.

By air, Huaihua is served by Huaihua Zhijiang Airport, located some 31 kilometers from the city proper in the Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County.