Huaihua has abundant agricultural products and natural resources. It is known as "the hometown of cedar", "the hometown of fruits", and "the hometown of Chinese medicinal herbs". The city has a growing stock of 86.96 million cubic meters of living wood, ranking first in Hunan. A total of 173.33 square kilometres of Chinese herbs are available, with more than 1,900 species, 175 of which are listed as national key protected Chinese herbs. Among them, the output of poria and asparagus leads the country. The annual production of fruits exceeds 900,000 tons. Jingzhou's waxberry, Xupu's mandarin jujubes and Mayang's sweet orange enjoy a long-standing reputation. The city's identified mineral deposits are of 11 categories comprising 45 species. Gold, copper and phosphorus reserves rank first, third and fourth in Hunan, while the rock coal, silica sand and barite reserves stand at the forefront of the country. With a theoretical hydro energy reserve of 5 million kilowatts, Huaihua has now developed 4.5 million kilowatts, serving as one of the central zones of the country's top ten hydropower bases.

Huaihua is also one of the country's ten hydroelectric bases with rich hydropower resources. The city's hydro energy reserves reach 4.99 million kilowatts, with 4.5 million kilowatts of exploitable hydro energy. The hydro energy reserves and exploitable hydro energy rank first in the entire province. The Wuqiangxi Hydropower Station, the largest hydroelectric power station in Hunan Province, is on the mainstream of the Yuan River. The famous Yuan River, one of the "Four Waters of Hunan" (Xiang River, Zi River, Yuan River and Li River), runs through the city from south to north. Its mainstream extends for 568 kilometres, with a basin area of 27,239 square kilometres. The major tributaries of the Yuan River that flow through the city of Huaihua include the You River, Chen River, Xu River, Wu River and Qu River, known as the "Five Streams", making Huaihua the "Land of the Five Streams" since ancient times.

(Translated by Yang Lingling)