The City of Xiangtan is situated on the lower region of the Xiang River in the Hunan Province and had a population of 2,748,552 in 2010.

Xiangtan’s humid, subtropical climate supports the region’s production of soya sauce and lotus seeds. The people of Xiangtan are famous for their fondness of ‘binglang’, sometimes referred to as betel nut, which is the dried fruit of the areca palm. The chewing of binglang is so popular that it is now a $1.18 billion industry that employs more than 100,000 people.

The cities of Changsha, Zhuzhou and Xiangtan in the Hunan Province are currently in the process of integrating measures to promote environmental protection as all three cities depend on the same river for water supply and sewerage outflow. The three cities are addressing mechanisms for coordination in planning and service delivery and the creation of regional institutions for environmental management and wastewater collection and treatment.