Baiyin is famous for mining and established for mining enterprises. It is the only city in the country named after a precious metal and enjoys the title "Copper City" in China.

Baiyin city governs three counties and two districts and has a total area of 20,100 sq km. At the end of 2024, it had a permanent population of nearly 1.49 million. The city is the hub of the Silk Road, the core of the Lanzhou-Baiyin metropolitan area, a resource-rich land with gold and treasure, a nationally renowned industrial land, a green and efficient agricultural base as well as a land of colorful tourist resorts. There are also many fascinating and amazing natural and cultural landscapes in Baiyin, such as the national geopark called Yellow River Stone Forest with the title of a "Chinese Natural Wonder", Huining County, the great victory meeting place of the Red Army Long March, Shoulu Mountain known as "Green Island of Desert", the Roman Holiday Lavender Manor in Jingyuan, the revolutionary ruins of the Hulabaokou Ferry famous for crossing the Yellow River, the revolutionary site of the battle of Talachi and so on. 

Baiyin has taken dedicated measures to deepen the promotion of its new industrialization. To date, it has formed 12 key industrial chains and 42 sub industrial chains. There, the first 50-metric-ton refined tellurium product production line in the province was completed and went into operation. Moreover, the biggest electronics grade lithium fluoride production base in China has been built and a non-ferrous metal industry cluster was selected as a national industrial cluster. In 2024, the city's industrial output value topped 100 billion yuan ($13.91 billion) for the first time.

Baiyin is located in a semi-arid climate area and is famous for the fruits that require abundant natural sunlight. Among all kinds of fruits, Black melon seeds, yellow river honeydew melon, pears of Jingtai county, honeydew melon of Lanzhou city, dry sand watermelons and jujubes of Xiaokou village are the most famous. The tender and soft lamb of Jingyuan county is a unique local cuisine popular in the Gansu-Qinghai Region and other places. It has been served as a special main dish at state banquets in the past.