Located in the northeast of Sichuan Province and at the junction of Chengdu, Chongqing and Xi'an, Nanjiang County covers an area of 3,389 square kilometers. It has jurisdiction over 31 towns, one subdistrict office, 309 villages and 115 communities, and has a total population of 709,000.

It is a key county included in the national plan for poverty alleviation through development, a national pilot area in the construction of main functional areas, a national demonstration zone for ecological protection and construction, a national pilot area for new urbanization, and a provincial pilot area in the reform to reinforce counties by granting them more powers.

The forest coverage rate of Nanjiang County is 70 percent, its greening rate is 98 percent, and its original forest covers more than 600,000 mu (400 square kilometers). Fagus pashanica (covering 20 square kilometers) is known as a "living plant fossil".

Its proven graphite ore reserves are more than 83 million tons. It also has rich ecological tourism resources, one of which, Guangwushan-Nuoshuihe Geopark, a national 5A-level tourist attraction, is listed among the country's first demonstration zones for ecological tourism.