Loudi () is a prefecture-level city located in central Hunan province, China. It is situated about southwest of the provincial capital of Changsha and is considered a small to medium size city within the province. According to the 2010 Census, the population of Loudi is of 3,785,627 inhabitants in an area of . In 2007, the city is named China's top ten livable cities by Chinese Cities Brand Value Report, which was released at 2007 Beijing Summit of China Cities Forum. Geography Loudi has an area of . The western parts of the city borders mountainous regions while the east parts is generally considered hilly with gently sloping topography. Climate The climate is subtropical monsoon climate with humid weather and four distinct seasons. History Before the Qin Dynasty (221BC-210BC) established a court, it belonged to the Chu, a vassal state to the Zhou dynasty. Subdivisions Loudi administers one district, two county-level cities, and two counties. The information here presented uses data from 2010 national census. Government The current CPC Party Secretary of Loudi is Li Jianguo and the current Mayor is Yang Yiwen. Notable Places Ziquejie Terrace Located in Xinhua County, Ziquejie Terrace features, layers upon layers of terraces are mapped like waves on the hills upon the mountains. Boyue Cave Boyue Cave scenic spot is a comprehensive park with karst as its main composition. It has an underground route of 1800 meters covering 40 thousand square meters. Economy The city is heavily dependent on industry. In 2011, Loudi's GDP reached RMB 83.79 billion ($12.9 billion). The biggest contributors come from the secondary industry where industry and construction amount to RMB 46.69 billion ($7.3billion USD), 55.75 of the city's GDP. The city has rich natural resources. Coal mining, dressing, metallurgy, power production and supply, agricultural products processing, ceramics and construction materials are among the major industries of the city. References External links Government site (Simplified Chinese) China Tourist site (English) Cities in Hunan Prefecture-level divisions of Hunan