Huairou District is located in the northeast of Beijing, with a total area of 2,122.8 square kilometers, 89 percent of which is mountainous area. It is the city's second-largest district by area.

By the end of 2024, the district had 284 administrative villages and 36 communities, with a permanent population of 439,000. Preliminary calculations show that Huairou's GDP reached 56.45 billion yuan in 2024.

The name of "Huairou" enjoys a long history, which appeared as early as 1,300 years ago in the Tang Dynasty. In 1368, during the Ming Dynasty, Huairou County was set up, whose jurisdiction was basically the same as that of today's Huairou District. In recent years, Huairou has received more than 30 honorary titles such as "National Afforestation Model City", "National Ecological Demonstration Zone", "National Health Zone", and "National Sustainable Development Pilot Zone".

Huairou is the "Northern Gateway" of Beijing, and is known as the "Pearl of Beijing Suburb" and the "Backyard of Beijing". APEC's annual meeting, the first and second sessions of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, and other high-level meetings were successfully held at Yanqi Lake International Convention Center of the district. China Meetings Industry Convention (CMIC) and the Beijing International Film Festival are permanently located in Huairou.

Huairou District is located just 50 kilometers from the city center, 32 kilometers from the Beijing Capital International Airport, and over 170 kilometers from the Tianjin Port.