Xinhuang Autonomous County is subordinate to Huaihua City, Hunan Province. It is located in the west of the middle and low hills of West Hunan, bordered by Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the west, Zhijiang River in the east, and adjacent to Guizhou in the southwest and north on three sides. The total area is 1508 square kilometers. Mountains account for 84.22% of the total area. The highest peak, Tianlei Mountain, is 1136 meters above sea level. There are many streams in the territory, forming many valleys and plains. County jurisdiction over 9 towns, 2 ethnic townships, the county government in the town of Huangzhou. According to the 7th census, as of 0:00 on November 1, 2020, the permanent population of Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County was 220,775.

The forest coverage rate of Xinhuang is 67.5% and the distribution of D-camphor community is the only provenance site of D-camphor in mainland China. There are many mineral resources, including 900 million tons of potassium feldspar reserves, 280 million tons of barite reserves, as the national super large deposit, known as the "Barium capital of China". The output of agricultural and sideline products is larger, is "China Xiangxi cattle township" and Hunan Province tobacco production base county. Rich historical and cultural characteristics, in the Qin and Han dynasties belongs to Yelang state governing land, Tang Zhenguan eight years set up Yelang County, lasting 108 years. The accumulation of Dong culture and Yelang culture is profound, while the original rice farming culture and Nuo culture are well preserved. Nuo Opera "Dun Dong Tui" has been included in the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritage protection list. The county is a famous historical and cultural city in Hunan Province.

In 2021, the GDP of Xinhuang Dong Autonomous County was 811.488 million yuan, an increase of 8.3%. On July 29, 2020, it was selected into the list of towns (counties) reconfirmed as National Health Care in 2019.