Dayao County, subordinate to Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture of Yunnan Province, is located in the northwest of Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, bordering Yuanmou County in the east, Yao'an County in the south, Xiangyun County and Binchuan County of Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in the west, and Yongsheng County and Huaping County of Lijiang City in the north along the Jinsha River. The total area of the county is 4146 square kilometers, which governs 8 towns and 4 townships, 129 administrative villages (communities) and 1550 villagers' groups. By the end of 2021, Dayao County has a registered residence population of 279600. Among them, there are 104300 urban residents and 175300 rural residents.

Dragonfly County was set up in the Western Han Dynasty and renamed Dayao County in the Yuan Dynasty. There are 22 ethnic groups, including Han, Yi, Dai, Lisu, Hui, and other ethnic traditional festivals, such as flower arranging festival, costume competition festival, and Kaijing festival. It is the intersection of Confucian culture, Buddhist culture and Yi culture. Chuyao Expressway and National Highway G227 pass through the border. The altitude difference in the territory is large. There are Baicaoling, the highest peak in Yizhou, with an altitude of 3657 meters, and Santan Waterfall, the highest waterfall in the southwest with a third-level drop of 405 meters. The three-dimensional climate is obvious, and the forest coverage rate reaches 71.83%.

In 2021, Dayao County will achieve a GDP of 12.8 billion yuan, an increase of 13.5%.