The predecessor of Xianning National High-tech Industrial Development Zone was Xianning Economic Development Zone, founded in July 2006. It became Xianning High-Tech Industrial Development Zone in February 2015 and then a national-level high-tech zone in February 2017.
The zone has a planned area of 6.68 sq km and enjoys the preferential policies of national-level high-tech zones. As the flagship of Xianning city's growth, it has formed such industrial clusters as Internet facilities, life science and healthcare, advanced manufacturing, new materials and modern services.
Xianning city is located at the axis of the Wuhan city cluster and the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan city cluster. It is one of the hub cities along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and the second significant transportation hub in Hubei province. It has one deepwater port, two special-purposed ports and one auxiliary port along the 128 km waterway in the city.