Guidong (literally “east of Gui”) is located to the east of Minor Gui Mountain, hence its name. The longitude is between 113.37 and 114.14 degrees east, and the latitude is between 25.44 and 26.13 degrees north, 386 kilometers away from provincial capital Changsha City and 151 kilometers away from Chenzhou City.

 

Under the jurisdiction of Chenzhou City, Guidong County is seated in southeast Hunan Province, the middle of Luoxiao Mountains, and the upper reaches of Leishui River, a branch of Xiangjiang River.

 

Occupying an area of 1,463.6 square meters, the county has jurisdiction over 3 towns (Chengguan, Shatian, and Qingquan), and 15 townships. Four nationalities including Han, Yao, Miao and She are represented in the county with a total population of 170,000.

 

The time-honored county can be traced back to the years before Shang Dynasty when it was within the borders of ancient Jingzhou City. Over the Zhou Dynasty, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States period, the county was in the south territory of Chu State. It was put under the jurisdiction of Changsha Prefecture in Qin Dynasty and later in Han Dynasty that of Guiyang, a prefecture divided from South Changsha Prefecture.