Xiangtan City, a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Hunan Province, is known as "Tan" for short. It is also known as "Lotus City" or "Tan City" due to its abundant production of Xianglian lotus. Its topography is characterized by high terrain in the north, west, and south, and low terrain in the center and east. As of 2023, the city will administer two districts, one county, and two county-level cities, with a total area of 5,006 square kilometers. By the end of 2024, Xiangtan City's permanent population was 2.6918 million. Xiangtan City, established as a county during the Southern Dynasties, dates back over 1,500 years. It is a significant birthplace of Hunan culture and the cradle of Chinese revolutionary culture, renowned for its "eternal beauty of central Hunan, a county rich in heroes." Xiangtan has produced countless great men and masters, including Mao Zedong, a leader of the era; Peng Dehuai, a founding father; Huang Gonglue, Chen Geng, and Tan Zheng; and cultural figures such as Qi Baishi, Lü Ji, Xiao San, the "Eight Steeds of the Li Family"; Wang Kaiyun, and Yang Du.
Xiangtan City is a member of the Yangtze River Middle Reaches Urban Agglomeration and the central city of the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Urban Agglomeration's "Two-Oriented Society" comprehensive reform pilot zone. It has been recognized as an Excellent Tourist City, a National Garden City, and a National Civilized City. On December 7, 2016, Xiangtan was selected as one of the third batch of national pilot areas for new urbanization. In November 2018, it was ranked among the top 100 cities in China's comprehensive well-off index. On January 29, 2021, it was selected into the list of regions with significant achievements in 2020 announced by the Hunan Provincial People's Government. On February 24, 2022, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the "National Development and Reform Commission's Reply on the Approval of the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Metropolitan Area Development Plan", formally approving the "Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Metropolitan Area Development Plan". In 2023, Hunan's first "cross-city" subway will be put into operation, and Changsha and Xiangtan will realize the interconnection of subway systems.