Nantou Subdistrict was established in October 1983. Formerly known as Daxin Subdistrict, it was renamed in February 1991. Located in the central and western part of Nanshan District, on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary, and in the northwest of Nantou Peninsula, it is characterized by a mesa plain terrain at the lower reaches of Dasha River and Xixiang River, which is high in the northeast and low in the southwest. Most of its area is less than 150 meters above sea level. 

With a total area of 13.25 square kilometers, its administrative area borders Xili and Yuehai subdistricts to the east via Nanhai Boulevard, Nanshan Subdistrict to the south via Xuefu Road, Xin’an Subdistrict of Bao’an District to the west via Yueliangwan Boulevard-Bao’an Boulevard-Second Line Border Inspection Road, and Xili Subdistrict to the north via Shenzhen-Guangzhou Expressway. In 2020, it possessed 12 communities with a permanent population of 252,949, of which 139,851 are registered. In the subdistrict, there are three joint-stock cooperative companies with a total of 2,397 stockholders, which achieved a total operating income of 747.89 million yuan in 2020.

According to preliminary statistics, it is estimated that in its communities there are 226 registered overseas residents, of which 141 are from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and the rest from foreign countries. Around 100 foreign practitioners are active in all walks of life in the subdistrict. Boasting 10 well-regulated large-scale garden communities and such units as the Nanshan Culture and Sports Center, Orange Theater, international schools, and international medical institutions, the subdistrict carries out international cultural exchanges and sports events each year. Thanks to the frequent international cultural exchanges in its communities, the subdistrict is steeped in a strong international atmosphere.