Shimen, under the jurisdiction of Changde City, Hunan Province, for the far north of Xiangxi. Shimen is located at the intersection of Hunan and Hubei, facing Dongting Lake in the east, Taohua Yuan in the south, Zhangjiajie in the west, and the Three Gorges of the Yangtze River in the north. It is known as the "Wuling Gateway" and "Xiaoxiang North Pole". The terrain presents a curved calabash shape, the terrain slopes from west to southeast, and there are 236 channels and streams throughout the territory. The average annual temperature within the territory of 16.7℃. It is a large county of mineral resources in Hunan Province. It has the largest reserves of Xiongsulphite in the world, and the largest reserves of silicon placer and phosphate ore in Asia.

Shimen County covers an area of 3,970 square kilometers. According to the seventh census, as of midnight on November 1, 2020, the permanent population of Shimen county was 559,457.

Shimen is a county inhabited by ethnic minorities. Residents are Tujia, Hui, Miao and other 16 ethnic minorities. Historically, it was the center area ruled by Tianping Chiefdoms. The Tujia people account for 51% of the total population in the county, and Tujia traditions and customs are strong.