Natural Resources

Water resources

Hunan Province has a vast and dense river network, with 5,341 rivers each stretching over 5 kilometers. Centered on Dongting Lake and fed by the four major tributaries—Xiangjiang, Zijiang, Yuanjiang, and Lishui—Hunan's water system is part of the Yangtze River Basin. The Dongting Lake and four tributaries' basins account for about 96.7% of the province's total area. Beyond those, the remaining waters belong to the Pearl River Basin or the Ganjiang River system of the Yangtze River Basin, or small rivers that flow directly into the Yangtze River.

The province has an average annual precipitation of 1,450 mm and average annual total water resources of 168.9 billion cubic meters, of which surface water resources account for 168.2 billion cubic meters and groundwater resources account for 39.15 billion cubic meters (with groundwater resources that do not overlap with surface water reaching 0.7 billion cubic meters). Its total water resources rank sixth in China, with a per capita share of 2,500 cubic meters, slightly above the national average, giving the province a certain water resource advantage.
Due to uneven spatial and temporal distribution, the three challenges of "too much water, too little water, and polluted water" remain constraints on the province's economic and social development.

Land resources

Hunan has 4.1488 million hectares of cultivated land (about 3.1% of the national total), 12.6373 million hectares of forest land (about 4.46%), and 0.4748 million hectares of pasture land (about 0.22%). With abundant land resources and a complete variety of types, Hunan enjoys favorable conditions for developing farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery.

Mineral resources

Hunan is renowned as a "land of non-ferrous metals" and a "land of non-metallic minerals." By 2025, a total of 154 types of minerals had been identified across the province, of which 122 had proven reserves, comprising seven energy minerals, 38 metallic minerals, 75 non-metallic minerals, and two water and gas resources. Hunan has secured fiscal support for 28 geological exploration projects (including carryover projects), discovery of eight new medium- to large-sized mineral deposits.

Resource endowment

Boasting abundant biodiversity, Hunan is one of the valuable biological gene pools in China, and even globally. It is home to 13 national first-class protected animal species, including the South China tiger, clouded leopard, and Milu deer. Around the province, there are over 5,500 species of vascular plants across 1,089 genera, of which tropical genera account for 47.9% — including 64 national protected wild plants such as the Southern yew, Ziyuan fir, and villous Chinese honey locust (Gleditsia sinensis). With its complex flora, diverse geography, and ancient lineage, Hunan is recognized as a "kingdom of ancient plants" that has remained largely unchanged since the Cretaceous period, making it a land rich in relict gymnosperms.

Ecological environment

Hunan lies in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest zone, dominated by forest and wetland ecosystems. Its forest ecosystem includes five forest types, 12 vegetation type groups, 23 vegetation subtype groups, 63 community groups, and 143 formations, while its wetland system consists of rivers, lakes, marshes and wetlands. According to scientific estimate, the total ecosystem service value of Hunan's forests and wetlands reaches 1.22 trillion CNY, including 1.01 trillion CNY from forests and 0.21 trillion CNY from wetlands. Hunan's forest and wetland ecosystems are highly representative globally, encompassing two of the 200 ecoregions of global significance, namely, the Wuling-Xuefeng mountains and Nanling-Luoxiao mountains subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest ecoregions. With lush, year-round greenery, these two ecoregions span five degrees of latitude from 20°N to 30°N, and are considered the world's most valuable at this latitude. In 2025, Hunan had 53 nature reserves at or above the provincial level, including 23 national-level and 30 provincial-level ones, covering 906,000 hectares. There were 14 national geoparks in the province. Trees were planted on 286,000 hectares across the province that year.

Tourism resources

Hunan, with rich tourism resources and a strong tourism industry, is home to stunning landscapes, profound cultural heritage, and vibrant ethnic traditions. On the one hand, Hunan is known for its natural wonders, including two UNESCO World Natural Heritage sites—Zhangjiajie and Langshan Mountain; Hengshan Mountain, which is known as the "most graceful among the Five Sacred Mountains in China"; Yunyang Mountain, a cultural landmark of Hunan; and, Xuefeng Mountain, hailed as the "backbone of Chinese nation." Hunan's waters are equally impressive, with the four major rivers—Xiangjiang, Zijiang, Yuanjiang, and Lishui; boundless, rippling Dongting Lake; expansive, bluish Dongjiang Lake; and famous Liuyang River. On the other hand, Hunan boasts profound history and culture. Yuelu Academy, Shaoshan, Fenghuang Ancient Town, and Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town are cultural icons in Hunan Province. Hunan is home to the mausoleums of Emperor Yan and Emperor Shun—two legendary ancestors of the Chinese nation. Distinguished ancient scholars like Qu Yuan, Jia Yi, and Zhu Xi left behind their enduring masterpieces. Hunan is the birthplace of many influential figures in modern Chinese history such as Zeng Guofan, Zuo Zongtang, and Huang Xing, as well as a number of great leaders and founders of the People's Republic of China, including Mao Zedong, Liu Shaoqi, and Renbishi. Beyond those, Hunan is a land of happiness and fashion, renowned nationwide for its screen culture, entertainment, bars, animation, and Hunan cuisine. Cultural tourism shows like Tianmen Fox Fairy and Charming Xiangxi enrich visitors' nighttime tours.

Chinese source: hunan.gov.cn