Hanchuan, a county-level city directly under the jurisdiction of Hubei Province and administered by Xiaogan City, is located in central Hubei Province, the hinterland of Jianghan Plain and the lower reaches of the Han River. It was founded in the Southern and Northern Dynasties and got its name because the Han River, the largest tributary of the Yangtze River, runs through the whole territory. It is close to Wuhan, the central city of Central China, and is an important part of Wuhan City Circle. The territory is flat and low-lying, gently sloping from northwest to southeast. It is a plain lake district with rich resources and fertile land. It is known as the "Pearl of Jianghan", the "land of fish and rice" in Jianghan Plain, and the "Land of Chinese river crabs". Hanchuan has jurisdiction over 2 subdistricts, 14 towns, 6 townships, 4 agricultural (breeding) farms and 1 state-level development zone, covering an area of 1663 square kilometers, with an urban built-up area of 30 square kilometers and an urban population of 300,000. According to the 7th census data, as of midnight on November 1, 2020, the permanent resident population of Hanchuan was 903,296.

Hanchuan City has convenient transportation, which is traversed by Wuhan City Circle Expressway, Shanghai-Chengdu Expressway (G42), Shanghai-Chongqing Expressway (G50), G348 National Highway, Han-Dan Railway and Han-Yi high-speed railway.
Hanchuan is the first county approved by The State Council in Hubei Province to open to the outside world, and also one of the first 20 counties and cities in Hubei Province to expand power. It is the national advanced county and city in the assessment of scientific and technological progress, the national land and resources conservation and intensive model county (city), the National Best Couplets cultural city, the hometown of Chinese folk culture and art, the hometown of Chinese poetry, the top 100 county economy and county comprehensive development, the top 100 county GDP, the top 100 county economy, the top 100 industrial counties and cities, the top 100 county business environment, and the national new urbanization.
In 2021, the GDP of Hanchuan was 75.312 billion yuan, an increase of 14.8% over the previous year based on comparable prices.